Danganronpa: Execution Order
by Heroi Oscura
Summary: Locked in Hope's Peak Prison with Monokuma, sixteen Ultimates are accused of a crime that they don't remember committing. Stuck in a killing game, where the only way to absolve them of their crimes is to kill one of their fellow prisoners and survive a grueling process known as a class trial, their wits, talent, and smarts are put to test in a desperate bid to survive.(SYOC CLOSED)
1. Intro

"So how about it?" he asked. "Let me in."

"…"

"Your backs are behind a wall." He gestured to the door behind him. "Any minute now, they will come in and pretty much wipe you away from existence."

"…"

"Please." His voice had a tinge of desperation in it not present before. "I did this all… all for you. Let me do the right thing for once. Let me into Hope's Peak Academy."

"…_Fine_."

"Thank you." The relief in his voice was clear. "Th… y… Mo…"

Static.

Xxx

Ryohei Kazuhara's eyes snapped open, just before he was blinded by the brightest light he had ever witnessed. He quickly held up a hand to block it and sat up from where he was lying down. He blinked a couple of times, letting his eyes readjust to his surroundings, as his mind raced. Was he dead? A light usually signified that right? He didn't remember dying.

The last thing he remembered…

The last thing he remembered was… walking up to the entrance of Hope's Peak Academy. And then... nothing.

Ryohei took a deep breath to calm himself, as his eyes adjusted to the light and finally gave him the chance to see where he was.

It was a bedroom. Nothing fancy about it. He was sitting on a bed, with red bed sheets and pillows, that didn't look like anything special. Just an oak headrest and a small oak desk to the left of it. He could see a large closet just across from where he was sitting and a small looking bathroom right next to that. Next to that and to his right was a door that led presumably outside. All in all, it seemed like a pretty normal bedroom, one that Ryohei would expect to see from a dorm room.

However, it was the little things about it that made it unnerving.

There was a small television in the corner of the room, right next to the exit. He wasn't sure what it was for, but if this was a school like he assumed then it was probably used for announcements. Still, its blank screen didn't make Ryohei feel at home.

Ryohei swung his legs over the bed's edge and hopped off. He shook his entire body just trying to get the sleep out of his system, before investigating closer. First, he checked his pockets for the cellphone he always kept on his person up came up empty.

Ryohei frowned. Definitely suspicious.

Next Ryohei checked the closet and found the clothes he always wore neatly hung and folded inside. He picked up a pair of pants to find it had been ironed- something he always did to clothes he wore to court. He checked each pair for his cellphone but again couldn't find it.

He sighed and took a step back, looking around the room, only to noticed something in the upper corner.

A small camera.

Ryohei blinked and suddenly felt a bit unnerved. As a test, he took a couple of steps backward, until he was across from the closet on the other side of the room. The camera followed his movement silently, so much so that he probably wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been looking for anything suspicious.

He moved towards the bathroom, noting the camera eerily following his movements behind his back. Whoever was watching him wasn't even trying to hide it.

Funnily enough, the bathroom hid him from the camera's view, so when he entered Ryohei was allowed to relax and run his hands through his hair. "What the fuck…?" he muttered, staring at himself in the mirror, just to check if he was alright.

Ryohei looked about the same he always did. His spiky dirty blonde hair with that irritating little spike of hair reaching out from the middle of his head. His nose was still as sharp and pointed as ever. His two amber eyes were the same and, when he grinned, he could still see that scary smile that had scared the defendants he had prosecuted over the years.

Ryohei sighed and check his clothes. He had come to the school with the same clothes he often wore to court since these were the best clothes he actually had. A dark brown blazer over a white dress shirt along with a loose blue tie. Over his legs, he had his brown slacks and black dress shoes. Essentially, instead of being dressed for school, he was dressed to go to court.

No, there was something different. On his hand, he could see a tattoo. A tattoo that he didn't remember ever getting. In blocky text, the number, "16" was printed on the back of his hand. He turned on the faucet and ran his hand under the water, thinking that would wash it off, but no such luck.

Another sigh.

He splashed some cold water on his face, before looking back at the mirror seeing some of the weariness fade away from his eyes.

Good. This would help him think.

He took a step back outside the bathroom, disregarding the camera. He was obviously captured that much was certain and he didn't have anything on him to hide at the moment. Ryohei had heard of some similar cases within court- kidnappers would try to hold Ultimates in ransom if their talents were valuable to the state. His talent could certainly be considered one of them, though the last thing he remembered was going through the entrance to Hope's Peak Academy. Though he didn't ever remember a case where the captors branded their captured, so that was new.

Ryohei searched his memory. Getting the acceptance letter, telling his parents and younger brother, picking his outfit and finally leaving his home to go to the school. But after that… nothing.

Well… He held his head and winced. At least he assumed that's what happened.

Ryohei glanced at the door and reached for its doorknob, only to jump back when he felt sharp pain the moment he touched the knob. He stared at his hand and then back at the doorknob. "I was… shocked?" he asked a bit dumbly, thrown off by the sudden pain.

"Prisoner 16!" A nasally female voice came from behind him, making him jump. "Are you trying to escape?!"

Ryohei whirled around to see… well, he couldn't really describe what he was looking at. Two… stuffed animals that looked like cartoon bears stood on the bed, the one on the right glaring at him while the other looked at the floor, uncomfortably. They were about as tall as his knees and both had two different sides to them. The one on the right, the one who spoke, was blue on their right side and black on their left side. The blue side had a normal looking bear's mouth, but the other half had a twisted grin stretching out from the split. They had an eyepatch covering the eye on their blue side and a strange lightning-shaped red eye on their left.

The other one was white on the right side and blue on their left side with an eyepatch covering the eye on their left side. The mouth was like the other one and the eye on the right side was a mere oval dot. Both strange creatures were wearing a blue and black peak cap on their heads and holding black batons.

"Prisoner 16!" The black and blue one snapped again. "Are you going to answer me?!"

"What…?" Ryohei found his mouth going dry, now completely out of his element. "What are you things…?"

"Here we go again…" the one on the left muttered, sullenly, in a low and subdued voice as the one on the right bristled with anger.

"Prisoner 16!" The one on the right shouted again. She pointed her baton at his face. "Don't speak to us with that tone!"

"I don't…" His brain just wasn't processing this information. "Who are you…?"

"I am Monoline!" The one on the right introduced.

"And I'm Monoden…" The one on the left continued.

"And together we are…" They posed, but the male one was a little too slow.

"The Ultimate Warden!"

"The Ultimate Warden…"

Ryohei could only stare. Monoden had said his line a few seconds too late ruining the announcement and was now receiving an angry glare from Monoline. "Brother!" she snapped. "You were too slow!"

"I'm sorry, Sister…" Monoden sniffed. "But we've done it fifteen other times already, so I'm kinda tired." He sighed. "I'm just glad he's the last one…"

Monoline huffed and turned back to Ryohei. "We both are known as the Ultimate Co-Wardens," she said a little stiffly, obviously still annoyed.

* * *

**Monoden: The Ultimate Co-Warden**

**Monoline: The Ultimate Co-Warden**

* * *

Finally, Ryohei managed to grasp a term that was familiar to him. "You're Ultimates?" he asked a bit weakly.

Monoline looked angry. "That's what we just said, Prisoner 16!" she snapped.

Ryohei blinked and looked down at the number that was tattooed on the back of his right hand. "Prisoner…?" he asked, connected the number to what Monoline was saying. "That doesn't… Why am I under arrest?"

"Why else?" Monoline's eye seemed to gleam with an eerie red light. "You committed a crime. Now you serve the time." She looked a little proud of herself.

"Rhyming… so lame…" Monoden muttered.

Any air of pride disappeared from Monoline and she swatted Monoden on the head with her baton. "Just give him his MonoID!" she scowled.

Monoden seemed unperturbed as he hopped off the bed and waddled closer to Ryohei. He rummaged from under his hat before pulling out a small thin device, that reminded Ryohei of a smartphone, and held it out to him.

Ryohei took it and examined it. On the surface, it seemed like nothing but an ordinary cellphone, but Ryohei's mind still too frazzled by the appearance of Monoline and Monoden. "Who… what… how…?" he stammered out.

"You'll understand eventually." Monoline's eye seemed to glow. "Once you meet the Ultimate Judge."

Monoden hopped back onto the bed, as both he and Monoline pointed their batons at them. "Remember prisoner!" they said, now perfect sync. "This is a punishment for your sins against this mortal world!" With they disappeared right in front of Ryohei's eyes.

Ryohei just stared at the spot they once were, his mind racing, finally having enough time to piece together everything. The one called Monoden mentioned doing the same routine 15 other times and said that he was the last. Were there fifteen other people trapped here with him? He glanced down at the tattoo on his hand. Was that the reason for this tattoo?

They had also called him a prisoner. Did that mean this was a prison? Ryohei said that he didn't remember committing any sort of crime and he was sure of that…

There was absolutely no way. He never did anything that would get him arrested. He was sure of that.

Perhaps if he met this Ultimate Judge than maybe then he could clear his name. Judging solely by the title, they were another Ultimate, but if they were anything like those two stuffed bears…

Ryohei glanced at the device that Monoden had handed him and felt around it for some sort of switch. There was one on the right side, so he turned it on and the screen flashed to life.

To his disappointment, something that he was quickly getting used to, the MonoID wasn't any sort of cellphone. Instead, it merely displayed 5 apps: _Maps_, _Profiles_, _Truth Bullets_, _Rules and Regulations_, and _Settings_.

First, he checked the _Settings_, only to find it extremely bare. There were only a couple of options to change the color of the display and font of the text. Next, he tried the other four apps only to find three of them inaccessible, with an error notice popping up and displaying the words, "_Authorization has yet to be granted._"

The only one that worked was _Profiles_. It only took a second to load before he was greeted with a picture of his face next to some of his information. His eyes glanced at the top to see a row of sixteen tabs, but only one had a small 16-bit face as an icon and that was the page he was on. The others all had question marks.

Looking closely Ryohei could see that it was supposed to be his face. Shaking his head, he looked at the information that was presented in the MonoID. It had his height listed as 175.3 cm (he was always a little tall for his age) and his weight as 64.5 kg. His birthday was also listed on March 11th.

It also listed his talent. Yes… He couldn't help but smile bitterly as he stared at the one word that made up his entire life.

* * *

**Ryohei Kazuhara: The Ultimate Prosecutor**

* * *

Japan was often criticized for its legal system. A 99% conviction rate. A system where the prosecution reigns supreme within trials. Sure, the issue was a lot more complicated than that, Ryohei knew, but he still couldn't help feeling that that criticism was warranted. The Ultimate Prosecutor who had a 100% conviction rate wasn't that special when its only 1% off the nation's average.

He had actually wanted to be a lawyer, deep down. The ability to defend anyone without fail- now that would surely be a talent.

Ryohei sighed and scrolled down again, only to freeze.

No, that wasn't… it wasn't possible.

Sure, they had called him a prisoner, but he assumed that was either a joke or a way to tell him that he was being held for ransom or something like that.

But… he read the small block of text a second time.

Then a third time.

Then a fourth.

There was no way…

But there it was, clear as day, printed in blocky text nonchalantly on the screen of the MonoID.

_Crime: The kidnapping and subsequent homicide of sixteen girls ranging from the ages of 15-20 around the Tokyo area._

_Sentence: Execution_

* * *

**Hello, my name Heroi Oscura. I'm rather new to Danganronpa SYOCs, though not new to writing DR stories or SYOCs. I've wanted to do a DR SYOC for a year now since DRV3 was released. Admittedly I've always had a bias against most other SYOCs, but DR ones have always been the exception because I think you can definitely do some really cool things with this idea. Originally my idea with an SYOC was going to revolve around Rantaro's killing game, but I dropped that idea mostly because I thought it wouldn't be as fun for me to write and pretty predictable.**

**So here it is my second idea. This was actually what I thought DRV3 would be about before I played the demo and, honestly, the thought always stuck with me and I finally finalized my idea a couple of weeks ago.**

**I'm sure there's probably another SYOC which has a prison as the setting, though I haven't found it yet, at the same time I'm really embracing the idea that all of the characters are prisoners rather than students who are trapped within a prison. I'm also pretty excited about the overall story. I've done my best to keep it in line with Danganronpa's general insane and crazy storylines, though make my own spin on it along with the same duality in themes. You should be able to piece together what I'm going for by the end of the first trial.**

**I've also done two other Dangaronpa stories (though those are primarily crossovers) and for each one, I've tried a different way of writing each story. I plan to do something similar to this story but any more and I'll be spoiling what I have planned.**

**Currently, the deadline at which the SYOC submissions will be on August 31****st****, 2019 at 7:00 AM EST. However, my hope is that on that date I'll be able to upload the first part of the prologue on that date, along with the next two parts coming in the two weeks following. So, I would really appreciate it if you submitted sooner rather than closer to the deadline because it gives me the time to choose characters and get feel for them before deciding. If you submit a character sooner rather than later then there its honestly more likely, I'll choose it in the end. Of course, that's not a guarantee, I very well may pick a character on August 30****th**** if they are good enough. There's the slight chance that it may be pushed back, however, which I'll be sure to inform in an update chapter that I'll try to make every month. **

**This is my first Danganronpa SYOC as I said before, but its also the only one I'll ever do. So, if this falls through for whatever reason then I guess I'll shrug and never look back. Again, I have pretty big plans for this story though I've admittedly never been a consistent writer. This is very much an **_**attempt, **_**since by no means am I a talented writer. I'm only doing this for fun.**

**Thank you for reading this long AN. I look forward to seeing your submissions. For now, I'll be working heavily on my other stories and planning this one, finalizing the murders for this. Again thank you.**

* * *

**Rules for the SYOC**

**1\. Send forms only through PM. The subject line when you send in your character should be in this format: [SYOC, Character's Full Name, Talent]. Each character you send in should be within a separate message thread or else it won't be counted.**

**2\. You may send in up to four characters. My ultimate goal is to only accept one character from each person up to the limit, but if I need I may accept a maximum of two from each person.**

**3\. Just to help set up some backstory for your character, while Hope's Peak Academy does exist in this universe, there shouldn't be any mention of Junko Enoshima or the Ultimate Despair within your backstory, along with the events that occur in those two games.**

**4\. Please avoid recycling characters you've already submitted to other SYOCs. I don't want to step on another author's toes that are currently working on their own story. If the said story is dead, however, I believe that's fair game. Of course, it's near impossible for me to enforce this, but I will do my best. If you suspect that a character may be recycled, feel free to PM with your suspicions.**

**5\. There are a few talents that are prohibited. These include Criminal, Guard, Judge, Warden, Lawyer, and of course Prosecutor. Any variation on those six are also prohibited, but if you aren't sure if a talent counts, please just PM me a question and I'll get back to you. However, you are free to use talents such as Police officer or Detective along with any talent from any previous canonical DR games.**

**6\. Please avoid coming up with the "crime" of your character yourself and inputting it within the backstory. The idea is that your character does not remember nor do they know that they committed said crime. As such, I'll be choosing them myself, but you are free to make suggestions within the section labeled "Other" on the form.**

**7\. Try to avoid making character designs too sexually explicit. I don't need characters that want to be running around naked. Any design I find too much, will be given a warning and request to be changed or outright ignored.**

**8\. Remember that I'm the only one who will be picking the characters. You may send in four characters that you find are all really good, but I may not pick any of them. That doesn't necessarily mean they are bad just that they had no place in the story or I couldn't find a way to fit them in.**

**9\. Please remember that when you send in these characters you are consenting to the idea that I may feature them in this story and write them in some horrible situations, as long as I remain in the boundaries you've listed. It **_**is**_** a killing game after all and a Danganronpa one no less.**

**10\. The deadline is August 31****st****, 2019 at 7:00 AM EST. I may or may not push back the deadline if something unforeseen happens, but that's my current plan.**

**11\. Feel free to ask any questions if you have any! :)**

**SYOC Guidelines**

**1\. I would try to avoid creating a perfect character. While I'm sure a particularly talented writer could possibly make it work, I'm not one of them, so they will most likely not be chosen.**

**2\. A small explanation of the tattoo: You can only choose the location on the body, not the number itself. Please don't make the location indecent! Don't expect to get picked if you do.**

**3\. Try to make it as detailed as you possibly can! More detail means it'll be easier for me to write your character if I decided to choose them!**

**4\. * means that filling out that section is optional. There are only a few of those, however!**

**5\. I would really like some unique characters that theoretically could fit in a traditional Danganronpa game. That's probably a tall order to expect, however.**

**SYOC Form**

PROFILE

Name:

Talent:

Talent Explanation: (Please explain the character's talent briefly and what others think of his talent and them.)

Age: (between 14-17, preferably, but can be younger or older than that if explained)

Birthday:

Gender: (male, female, or non-binary)

Sexuality:

Height:

Weight:

Nationality:

Ethnicity:

History: (Explain the backstory of your character. Make it explain as much about the character as it possibly can. Where they were born, family, hardships, goals, how they discovered their talent,

Family*:

Friends*:

Enemies*:

APPEARANCE

Physical:

Clothing:

Any Additional Information?*: (Is there something more that you would like to add to there appearance that doesn't fit into the current categories?)

Diseases/Allergies*:

Physical Ailments*:

Location of Number Tattoo*:

PERSONALITY

Personality: (Please make this as detailed as _possible_. More is better. What's the normal personality that they present on the surface? Is it possibly a mask? Are they hiding their true personality on the inside? Do they have certain thoughts on the inside that they don't bring to the forefront?)

Mental Disorders*:

Mannerisms/Quirks*:

Any Additional Information?*: (Is there something more that you would like to add to there appearance that doesn't fit into the current categories?)

Voice:

Hobbies:

Likes:

Dislikes:

People They Would Like:

People They Would Dislike:

Type of Liar: (What kind of liar is your character? Do they have a good poker face? Do they have any obvious tells? Would they feel bad about lying? Good at it maybe?)

Any Secrets?*: (Does your character have any secrets they would like to hide. I might use this for a motive.)

Love*: (Are they interested in a relationship? With what type of person would they be in a relationship with? How would they act in this relationship? Would they act differently to their lover than normally)

ROLE

Initial Thoughts on the Killing Game:

Reaction to the Body Discovery Announcement:

Reaction to Dead Body:

What they do during Investigation:

How do they act during the Trial:

How will they act when accused:

Their reaction to the execution:

How they would act if they were Guilty: (give a brief summary of how they would act if they were guilty. Would they act any different? Would they be instantly suspicious? Any noticeable tells?)

What they would say as an objection: (Akin to the "No that's wrong!" heard by many protagonists or what they would say when engaging in a rebuttal showdown.)

Attitude Within an Execution:

Reaction to a Traumatic Event:

Motive to Murder: (Give me some motives that would push your character to murder. As many as you can think of would be helpful.)

Execution Ideas*:

Free Time Ideas*: (Some suggestions would be nice)

Possible Character Arc*: (An idea of where you want your character to go would be helpful)

Please explain why your character may or may not be one of these-

Murderer:

Victim:

Mastermind:

Survivor:

Preference between the four options above:

Examples: (Give me some examples of your character interacting with the protagonist or in a class trial in your own writing.)

Other: * (Anything else you would like to say?)

**Xxx**

**Updated on 08/28/19 8:00 AM EST**

**Current Cast:**

**Male**

1\. Ryohei Kazuhara, Ultimate Prosecutor (16) (_Me_)

2\. Rentarou Kimura, Ultimate Private Eye (15) (_Myntneko_)

3\. Haruto Satō, Ultimate Caricaturist (6) (_Pokemon Trainer Tom_)

4\. Zeyn Zafrani, Ultimate Jetsetter (3) (_Prince PokePersona_)

5\. Sho Kawakaze, Ultimate Dart Thrower (10) (_SyroTheWritten)_

6\. ?

7\. ?

8\. ?

**Female**

1\. Moca Shiozaki, Ultimate Part-Timer (9) (_mayurie_)

2\. Ayako Hamasaki, Ultimate Footballer (4) (_Scissor-Snipper)_

3\. Ruby Bradford, Ultimate Curler (14) (_TheRoseShadow21)_

4\. Rin Cody, Ultimate Hunter (5) (_NSPunny_)

5\. ?

6\. ?

7\. ?

8\. ?

**Spots Open:**

x4 Female

x3 Male

**Talents Submitted:**

Females: 28

Male: 23

Non-Binary: 1

x1 Manga Author

x1 Actor

x1 Fursuiter

x1 Politician

x1 Surgeon

x1 Amateur Astronomer

x1 Caricaturist

x1 Part-Timer

x1 Private Eye

x1 Opera Singer

x1 Clockworker

x1 Composer

x1 Cryptozoologist

x1 Footballer

x1 Video Game Designer

x1 Tennis Champion

x1 Hero

x1 Lifeguard

x1 Kendoka

x1 Painter

x1 Hypnotherapist

x1 Rope Artist

x1 Nihilist

x1 Mathematician

x1 Escape Artist

x1 Dart Thrower

x1 Samurai

x1 Hunter

x1 Comedian

x1 Jetsetter

x1 High-Roller

x1 Grandmaster

x1 Curler

x1 Tarot Card Reader

x1 Model

x1 Cartographer

x1 Analyst

x1 K-Pop Idol

x1 Journalist

x1 Philanthropist

x1 Unlucky Student

x1 Babysitter

x1 Traditional Healer

x1 Accordionist

x1 Museum Curator

x1 Historical Novelist

x1 Gamer

x1 Food Chemist

x1 Fantasy Writer

x1 Make-Up Artist

x1 Paranormal Investigator

x1 Runway Model

x1 Juggler


	2. Final Cast List

I failed to get Swimsuit Nero, but somehow got Bride Nero in two solo rolls just this morning. Gacha man.

* * *

Update 8/31/2019

It is now August 31st, past 9:00 AM EST. And thus I have finalized the cast list.

We'll be going down each of the accepted characters in numerical order!

First, we have **Prisoner 1:** **Nafia 'Fia' Onyilogwu** the **Ultimate Traditional Healer** from _**Abitat Eco**_! A pretty intricate character I hope I can do her justice within this story.

Next is **Prisoner 2: Mirari Watanabe** the **Ultimate Babysitter** from _**TheBloperM**_!

**Prisoner 7: North Tchovsky** the **Ultimate Juggler** from _**Knifez**_ also has been arrested by the dastardly wardens, Monoline and Monoden.

Next up is **Prisoner 8: Isaiah Carter** the **Ultimate Amateur Astronomer** from _**Glass-Lady-of-the-Opera**_.

**Prisoner 11: Pauline Celeste** the **Ultimate Runway Model** from **_Pretty Palutena _**is up next. (To clarify, the character was a part of another SYOC in another story. However, that story is confirmed to be dead and I did state in my rules that submitting an OC from a dead story was fine. Plus she ends up filling a niche that I needed filling.)

**Prisoner 12: Kaori Tachibana** the **Ultimate Food Chemist** from _**Comettail76 **_is second to last to be confirmed.

And finally **Prisoner 13: Erik Daae** the **Ultimate Composer** from _**PainX65!**_

**Cast List**

**Male**

1\. Ryohei Kazuhara, Ultimate Prosecutor (16)

2\. Rentarou Kimura, Ultimate Private Eye (15)

3\. Haruto Satō, Ultimate Caricaturist (6)

4\. Zeyn Zafrani, Ultimate Jetsetter (3)

5\. Sho Kawakaze, Ultimate Dart Thrower (10)

6\. Isaiah Carter, Ultimate Amateur Astronomer (8)

7\. Erik Daae, Ultimate Composer (13)

8\. North Tchovsky, Ultimate Juggler (7)

**Female**

1\. Moca Shiozaki, Ultimate Part-Timer (9)

2\. Ayako Hamasaki, Ultimate Footballer (4)

3\. Ruby Bradford, Ultimate Curler (14)

4\. Rin Cody, Ultimate Hunter (5)

5\. Nafia 'Fia' Onyilogwu, Ultimate Traditional Healer (1)

6\. Pauline Celeste, Ultimate Runway (11)

7\. Mirai Watanabe, Ultimate Babysitter (2)

8\. Kaori Tachibana, Ultimate Food Chemist (12)

* * *

And there's the final cast list. I'm still working on the next few chapters so please be patient! I know I initially said that I wanted most of the 1st part written out before the deadline, but those plans kinda fell through since I was so busy this summer. I couldn't even finish the first chapter thanks to the scare regarding Hurrican Dorian.

So please be patient until I can finish writing. I don't know how long it'll take, but I am doing my best to get through it. You can check on updates within my profile.

I can be reached through my PMs if you have an inquires, questions or concerns.

See you when the 1st chapter drops!

~Heroi Oscura


	3. A Punished Beginning (Part 1)

Chapter 1: A Punished Beginning- Meeting the Other Prisoners Part 1

**Originally this chapter was supposed to go up on Friday, but I freaked when I realized that that day was Friday the 13th. I'm not huge into superstitions but why tempt fate?**

**Edit: 9/12/19: Fixed some issues that were pointed out to me.**

Xxx

_Click!_

Ryohei looked up from his MonoID at doorknob he had tried only moments earlier. He raised a brow, momentarily forgetting about what he had just read on the screen, and moved towards the front door and carefully placed his hand on the doorknob.

Nothing.

Last time he had tried to open the door to exit the bedroom, he had gotten shocked. This time however there was nothing.

Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ryohei gripped the doorknob tightly around his hand and threw open the door.

Only to recoil and back away in shock once he noticed someone else on the other side.

The girl on the other side seemed just as surprised as he was, but more of a pleasant surprise, as if she had been waiting in front the door, waiting, thinking that perhaps no one would open it. She grimaced when she noticed Ryohei's shocked look and quickly held up two hands. "It's okay!" she exclaimed, with a shaky smile, with a voice that was a little lower in tone for a female though still higher than a male's. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

Once Ryohei regained his breath, he managed to get a better look at the girl in front of him. She was tall, only coming up to be a little shorter than him, though she looked vastly more athletic than he ever would. She had rather broad shoulders and had lightly tanned skin. Her dark blue-almost black-hair was messy and cut short with just as messy bangs giving her a boyish appearance. She had thick eyebrows and big, downturned yellow eyes. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt with a black collar and a square pattern with various shades of blue at the end of her sleeves. This t-shirt covered her navy green shorts, leaving only a small edge for Ryohei to notice it. Her legs were covered by black leggings and she was wearing white high-top sneakers on her feet.

Just out of sight on her right wrist, Ryohei could see a black "9," tattooed on her skin. Quickly connecting the dots, he asked, "You're a prisoner too?"

The girl seemed slightly surprised, her eyes flicking over to his own right hand and then back to his face. "Yep!" she said, a little too cheerfully for Ryohei's liking. "My name is Moca Shiozaki, but you can just call me Moca." She gave him a grin before it dropped for her face giving way to confusion. "I'm also called the Ultimate Part-Timer if you can believe it."

**Moca Shiozaki: Ultimate Part-Timer**

Ryohei's eyes widened. "You're an Ultimate too?" he asked, a little surprised. She wasn't the Ultimate Judge though so that meant she was probably not the one that Monoline and Monoden had been referring to.

Moca blinked. "Yeah…? Are you one too?"

Ryohei nodded. "I'm Ryohei Kazuhara," he introduced himself. "The Ultimate Prosecutor."

Moca's eyes seemed to light up. "The Ultimate Prosecutor?!" she exclaimed. "That sounds cool!"

"Ah…" Ryohei was slightly embarrassed. "It's nothing to be amazed by," he replied modestly. "Being a prosecutor isn't as impressive as it first looks." He looked away and muttered, "Especially in Japan…"

"You need to have more confidence in yourself," Moca exclaimed, brightly, still somehow holding that same smile on her face. "I know next to nothing about law, but you… you know everything about it, don't you?"

"Well…" Ryohei blinked. "Kinda. It's hard to explain, to be perfectly honest. I'm no law professor." He looked past her, noticing that the two were on a stone balcony looking over a large dirt yard. The entire yard was surrounded by a large concrete wall with barbed wire wrapped around the top. To his left, the balcony ended with some steel railings protecting them from stepping off the edge and to his right he could see it lead off towards a metal staircase that connected him to the ground. Leaning on the railing he could see another person staring at a MonoID.

Past that staircase the balcony continued on and, after crossing a bridge, it led to a large dull gray building that extended out into the sky. There were some windows, but all of them were dark so it was hard for him to see what was on the other side of them. There was another building which was a little smaller next to it, a bridge also connecting the two buildings. "What's…?" he started to ask aloud.

Moca came to answer him. "It's the main building," she explained. "At least we think so." She scratched the back of her head. "I've haven't gone in yet," she admitted,

Ryohei blinked. "We?"

She nodded. "You were the last one to come out," she explained. "I offered to be the one to wait to see if someone would come out of this door…" She shrugged. "Everyone else should be inside or looking for that Ultimate Judge guy."

Ryohei frowned. "I'm guessing you also met those two stuffed animals?" he asked, not at all surprised when Moca nodded silently.

"It's gotta be a prank," she said, turning her head away from him nervously. "I mean it makes no sense otherwise, right?" She caught the eyes of the boy nearby and any nervousness in her face vanished instantly. "Well, I should introduce you to the others!" Moca continued. "You were the last one to come out and everything so it would only be fair for me to help!" Before Ryohei could even say anything, she had already walked away, obviously heading for the boy nearby.

_A prank huh?_ Ryohei mused. _I guess it's certainly possible but…_ His eyes strayed over to the concrete wall that surrounding him and the main building. He could just see over its edge but there was nothing there but sandy dryland stretching out to the end of the horizon. No people or cities in sight from where he was standing. _It certainly is a complicated and bizarre one that's for sure._

Sending a glare into the horizon, Ryohei turned his attention back to Moca and followed her to meet the boy who had been watching him carefully.

He had a lean body with a small amount of muscle with his skin being a light tan. He had short and messy red hair and his yellow eyes were almond-shaped. His round face was rather child-like and he had a small button nose. He was wearing a white t-shirt underneath a black sleeveless vest where, in a breast pocket, there were three darts, each a different color: red, blue and yellow in that order. He was wearing simple gray pants and white sneakers. Covering half of his face was a black bandana with a dartboard design and Ryohei could see a black **10 **tattooed on the right side of his left forearm.

He noticed Ryohei and Moca approaching, pulled down his bandana and stuffed his MonoID into his pocket, giving the two a grin. "Ah. Sleeping Beauty finally wakes. So you're the one we've all been waiting for, huh?"

Ryohei frowned. "Sorry?"

He blinked, then rolled his eyes. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Blame the cells. Being called a prisoner by two weird stuffed bears messes with your head a bite." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Sho. Sho Kawakaze. I'm the Ultimate Dart Thrower, in case you couldn't tell."

**Sho Kawakaze: Ultimate Dart Thrower**

Ryohei glanced to the doors to the right. At first glance, they looked like nothing but normal school dorms, but taking in their surroundings and the fact that his door was locked when he woke up… yeah, he could see why Sho thought of them as cells.

To Sho, Ryohei firmly grasped his hand. "I'm Ryohei Kazuhara," he replied. "I'm the Ultimate Prosecutor."

Sho's grin seemed to waver. "Prosecutor, huh?" He scratched his head and looked away. "So, are you the guy who prosecuted me and turned me into a prisoner?"

Ryohei recoiled. "What?" he exclaimed. "No, of course not." He held up his right hand to show him his own tattoo. "Those two stuffed bears also called me a prisoner."

Sho scowled. "Well there had to be a trial, and a crazy one at that, for me to get stuck with these ridiculous charges." He jabbed a finger into Ryohei's chest. "And if you're supposed to be the Ultimate Prosecutor, which is real impressive by the way, you must be real popular with the ladies, then who's to say how many innocent people you've put behind bars. And how do we know we're just not you're latest victims?"

Ryohei gritted his teeth. The fourth person, if he counted the two wardens, he had met in this place and already he was being judged based on his talent. "I don't even like my talent," he said indignantly as if that was a good comeback.

Sho appeared shocked. "How… It's your talent!"

"Regardless," Ryohei said firmly. "It isn't something that I desire to be judged for."

Sho's expression turned to that of bitterness. "Well," he said coolly. "That's a disappointment."

The tension in the air was raised and Moca looked helpless as she just stood there, weakly looking between the two boys and shifting in place. "Um, Sho," she said to the person in question. "We were wondering where the others went."

The tension dissipated a little, as Sho turned his attention towards Moca. "What?" he snarled. "Too lazy to look at the map?"

She blinked. "Map?"

Sho rolled his eyes and pulled out his MonoID. He turned it over so that they could see the screen. On it was a black and white line map, centered on their position. "It only shows has the second floor of the main building. Not the first or the third."

"Why's that?" Ryohei asked curiously. He was willing to put behind their spat in favor of getting more information.

Sho rolled his eyes. "It's inaccessible," he answered, simply. "At least that's what I figured out when I checked. I don't know the reason for only making the second floor accessible, but at least we can go outside and there are a couple of other buildings that we can access." He shrugged. "Right?"

Ryohei pulled out his own MonoID. "When I checked the map while I was in my room, it wasn't working," he said, turning it on.

"Same here," Sho said. "But the moment I left my own room it started working." He gestured to a nearby door. Looking a little more closely, Ryohei could see that each door had a number on it and below them were eight more rooms. So there were sixteen rooms in total.

Or cells.

Ryohei winced when that thought came up in his mind and did his best to quickly stamp it out. "What the point in keeping some floors blocked from us?" he wondered aloud.

"My guess?" Sho grinned. "This Ultimate Judge guy is hiding out somewhere on those other rooms with a row of cameras."

"Or it's just some prankster," Moca reasoned.

Sho gave her a scathing look. "A prankster?" he repeated. "Someone built an entire prison… as a prank?"

Moca smiled sheepishly. "They're really… dedicated?" she offered.

Sho just sighed. "Yeah, no," he just said, scratching his head in frustration. "That just sounded stupid." Moca looked deflated.

Ryohei, meanwhile, was thinking. "If we can find the Co-Wardens again," he muttered. "Then there might be a way for them to connect us to the Ultimate Judge. Those bears did imply that they worked for the figure."

Sho smirked. "Now you understand my plan," he said. "The moment those stupid bears pop up here again, I'm going to surprise them and get them to tell us what the hell is going on!"

"By yourself?" Moca wondered aloud, only to balk at the glare she received from Sho. She quickly waved her hands. "Not to say that you're not talented enough to take those things by yourself!" she quickly assured him.

Sho smirked, seemingly proud of the praise. He slipped a dart out of his pocket and spun it around his fingers. "I swear, I'll bean the assholes who's trapped us here with my darts."

Ryohei's attention was now purely centered on the map on his MonoID. He could now see there was a bridge that led into the second floor of the main building. "There's no guarantee that the Co-Wardens will come back here," he said, more to himself, causing Sho to whip his head back towards him and glare at Ryohei. "It might be more prudent to explore the rest of the area." He looked at Moca. "Do you agree?"

Moca nodded. "Of course!" she beamed.

"Well, do whatever you want," Sho scoffed, moving aside to let them through. "I'm sure the others are exploring the main building right now."

Ryohei shoved his MonoID back into his pocket, before holding a hand towards Sho. "It was nice meeting you," he said.

Sho didn't reciprocate it. "Yeah whatever, you talentless hack," he muttered.

Ryohei winced. Well, that was one antagonistic force made on accident. It was worrying, but he didn't even know what made Sho get so angry with him. All he did was mention that he didn't like his talent…

Across the bridge, he and Moca went and at the other end, Ryohei could see another camera attached to the brick wall on the other end of the bridge. Its lens slowly followed them across the bridge. "Those cameras…" Ryohei said slowly.

"Hm?" Moca glanced at him the smile on her face never fading. "What about them?"

Ryohei opened his mouth before he shut it. _No,_ he chastised himself. _Not right now. Focus on one thing at a time, Ryohei. There's no obvious danger at the moment. For now, it's important to meet the thirteen other prisoners._

To Moca, he said, "No, never mind." Trying his best to quickly change the subject he also asked, "What's your opinion on everyone else?"

Moca just shrugged. "They're nice " she answered vaguely.

Ryohei frowned. "That isn't exactly what I meant " he pointed out, as Moca open the door and walked with him following close behind. He skidded to a halt.

A long hallway extended out in front of him, its walls colored a light lavender, the floor was a mixture of purple and black tiles, while the ceiling was a pure black with bright lights embedded into the ceiling. To his left, he could see a large window that he could use to see out to the front dirt yard of the building. If he kept walking there was two turns to the right, one closer and another farther along the hallway, where another camera and monitor was waiting. In between the end of the hallway was a door and, just to Ryohei's right was another door, this one slightly ajar. At the end of that hallway, he could see another metal door, presumably leading to another bridge.

Moca peeked into the room closest. "Looks like Rentarou is inside," she said, her squinting to peer through the small gap.

"Rentarou?" Ryohei asked, raising an eyebrow.

Moca nodded. "He was the second to last person to come out of their rooms," she explained. "He sleeps in the room right next to yours."

"His Ultimate Talent?"

She grinned and threw open the door. "Oh man! You wouldn't believe his talent! It's, like, the coolest and most unique thing ever!" She walked through the open door.

Ryohei followed her inside and frowned. The room wasn't anything special, just a classroom with wooden desks and chairs along with a blackboard with some chalk. Another camera and monitor were attached to the ceiling, with the camera turning towards him once he was fully through the doorway.

A young man was in the front of the room, muttering to himself. Moca smiled. "Hey, Rentarou!"

The young man glanced over calmly and gave them a mischievous smile, which immediately put Ryohei on guard. He had seen that same smile before on people who would manipulate the facts for their own gain. At that moment, Ryohei knew that he couldn't trust him.

He strode over to Ryohei and held out his hand. He was taller than Ryohei but at the same time lanky. He looked a little older than a teenager with a longer face with a square jaw and strong nose. His eyebrows were styled in a way that made him look serious at first glance, but his grey eyes, which were speckled with blue and green, seemed to be dancing in laughter. His skin was light and his dark reddish hair was styled in a neat and severe side-parted style. A solid hard part before being slicked neatly back into place.

His clothes reminded Ryohei of something a detective would wear. He was dressed white buttoned-down shirt along with suspenders, a black tie, black slacks and dress shoes. Over all of that was a grey coat.

Ryohei firmly gripped the hand extended out towards him. "I'm Prisoner 15," the guy introduced himself, in a low relaxed monotone voice. He blinked and Ryohei could see a black 15 tattooed over his right eyelid. "Rentarou Kimura. The Ultimate Psychic."

There was that smile again, playing across his lips.

Moca blinked. "But you told me you were the Ultimate Alien!" she accused, jabbing a finger at him.

Rentarou shrugged, carelessly. "I'm a psychic alien," he reasoned with a chuckle, pulling out his MonoID and glancing at the screen.

A slight frown graced Ryohei's face. "I'm-" he started to say.

Rentarou held up a hand to stop him. "I know who you are, Ryohei Kazuhara, the Ultimate Prosecutor. I know who everyone is. That's kinda my thing." He tapped the side of his head. "Psychic alien remember?"

Moca looked a little befuddled and folded her arms. "Is that how it works…?" She wondered aloud.

"He's lying, Moca," Ryohei said testily. "He's…" He glanced at Rentarou's clothes again, piecing together a guess. "He's some sort of detective."

Rentarou was quiet for a moment before a cheshire cat-like grin graced his face. "Close but no cigar," he said. "I'm actually the Ultimate Private Investigator… or Private Eye if you would like. Similar to a detective at first glance but fundamentally different."

**Rentarou Kimura: Ultimate Private Eye**

Moca frowned. "Um…how are they different?"

"It means he doesn't work with the police," Ryohei said narrowing his eyes. "He works primarily for money."

Rentarou merely shrugged. "In this economy can you blame me?" He studied Ryohei for a second, before leaning towards Moca. "Moca," he said carefully. "I saw Haruto go into the second classroom farther along the hallway. Maybe you should introduce Ryohei to him?" A suggestion whose purpose was very clear to Ryohei.

Moca responded almost instantly with a smile. "Of course," she gingerly took Ryohei's hand and began to tug him towards the door.

Ryohei glared at Rentarou for another second, before relenting and letting Moca pull him towards the door. "What was that all about?" she asked with a tinge of worry in her voice.

Ryohei rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. "Sorry, " he apologized. "I've never liked people like that. I guess… people who dig around for other people's secrets for money never sit well with me."

Moca gave a short nod. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Ryohei blinked and shook his head. "No, not really," he answered. "It's just some unfounded dislike. I'll get over it eventually." At least he thought he would. Even if Rentarou rubbed him the wrong way from the outset, it was a little rude of him to make assumptions of other people like that.

Moca just smiled. "Well, I should introduce you to Haruto then, if what Rentarou said was true!"

"Haruto?" Ryohei asked.

Moca opened her mouth, but was cut off suddenly when a boy said, "Someone say my name?"

Ryohei glanced at the door in the center of the hallway, to see a head peeking out from within. The person stepped into the corridor to fully reveal themselves to Ryohei. They had a plain face with brown eyes and very, very spiky black hair. Precariously placed at the tip of his nose was a pair of large pair of circular glasses that didn't seem to contain any lenses. He was wearing a bright yellow button up shirt and purple tie. Over his legs were some baggy and worn-out trousers decorated with comic book words and pictures and over his feet were a pair of brown slip-on loafers. The biggest noticeable trait about him that Ryohei noticed was that he was absolutely _covered_ in charcoal markings. His clothes had plenty of black streaks covering them and even his face had one or two dark black streaks. Around his body, he had a brown satchel bag. Tattooed onto the palm of his left hand was the number, "6."

Disregarding of the boy's strange appearance, Ryohei took a step forward and held out his hand. "I'm Ryohei Kazuhara, the Ultimate Prosecutor," he greeted firmly, assuming this guy to be the Haruto that Moca was talking about. "It's nice to meet you."

The boy glanced at Ryohei's face and then his eyes flicked down over to the number printed on Ryohei's hand. Instead of taking Ryohei's hand he pushed in his glasses (which was pointless as they just slid back down to the edge of his nose again) and pulled out a large sketchpad from within his bag. He turned to a page about two-thirds in and fished out a sharpened pencil from a pocket. He examined Ryohei for a moment before his attention turned back to his sketchpad and he began to write something, muttering, "Dirty blonde hair…Inquisitive…"

Ryohei blinked. Well, that didn't work. So instead he tried to be a little more friendly by grinning and saying, "You're Haruto, right?"

The boy took one look at him, flinched, before returning to his sketchpad and now muttering to himself even more furiously.

"Jeez, Ryohei…" Moca muttered from next to him. "That's one scary grin you've got there…You looked like a supervillain just then…"

Ryohei winced. "S-sorry." Ah, fuck. He had forgotten about that minor fact.

Suddenly, the boy closed his sketchpad and tucked it back into his bag, before giving Ryohei a wide grin. "Nice to meet you Shark Grin!" he said, enthusiastically. "I'm Haruto Satō, the Ultimate Caricaturist!"

**Haruto Satō: Ultimate Caricaturist**

Ryohei blinked. "Shark Grin?"

Haruto blinked as if Ryohei's disbelief was surprising to him. "Yeah," he said. "In account of your scary-looking smile."

"It's… not that scary…" Ryohei sulked.

Moca laughed. "Shark Grin!" she repeated, wiping a tear from her eye. "It does describe that smile perfectly!" She flashed Ryohei a smile. "Don't worry! Even with that terrifying smile, you're still a nice, though dense, guy."

Haruto glanced at Moca and pulled out his notebook again, muttering softly to himself. Ryohei and Moca watched him as he flipped through several pages before pausing on one and intently studying whatever was on it. He then smiled and glanced at Moca. "Short Shorts is right."

Now it was Ryohei's turn to laugh, but he quickly stifled it when he noticed Moca's flabbergasted expression. "Short… Shorts…?" she repeated, glancing down at her clothes.

Haruto gave her a strange look. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No!" she quickly denied, laughing it off. "It's just…" She glanced at Ryohei. "I've never heard of giving someone a nickname based on their clothes."

The Ultimate Caricaturist scratched his head with a pencil. "It's supposed to unique," he pointed out.

"Well I guess it is, but…" Moca quickly shook her head. "Um listen, Haruto. Did you see anyone else come through here? We were looking for the others."

Haruto opened his notebook again and flipped through it for a few seconds, before closing it. "Sorry, I didn't see anyone I recognized. There were a few people who went towards the medical office and library," he said pointing to the right.

"Thanks," Ryohei said politely, though inside he was confused. Did Haruto not meet anyone else while exploring? Either he hadn't been with anyone or he was just forgetful.

"You're welcome, Shark Grin!" Haruto said brightly, holding a hand up, before turning his back and them and walking away, in the direction of the bridge outside.

Ryohei checked the map, seeing that the medical office was just down the right hallway. Said hallway circled around so that it met up with the corridor they were currently in, which also led outside to the bridge. He turned to the right, momentarily forgetting to check if Moca was following him, and made his way towards the medical office.

The door itself was pretty normal. It was made from some sort of dark oak with a simple metal plaque reading, "_Medical Office._" Made it a little easier for him to find it, he guessed.

"Is this it?" Moca, who was behind him, wondered aloud.

"I assume so. Unless everything in this place was mislabeled." Honestly, Ryohei didn't put it past whoever trapped them to mislabel the rooms. It could cause some easy confusion between all of them if they were looking for a specific room.

Realistically, they couldn't trust anything about their surroundings.

Ryohei placed his hand on the aluminum doorknob and turned it, before pushing the door open. Inside was something akin to a nurse's room found in an atypical school except on the smaller side. There were only two beds with white sheets and white pillows. Two tall wooden bookshelves were in between the two beds, which contained several different sized colored bottles and containers. In the right corner were another camera and monitor.

In front of one of the bookshelves, was a girl that seemed to be about Ryohei's age and was probably another prisoner. She had a bottle of medicine in her hand and was intently examining it. The girl, who looked a little taller than him, had a lean body with some amount of muscle on it, with more on her legs than her arms, and medium-sized breasts. She had tanned skin and chestnut brown hair, which had been tied into a ponytail. The girl was wearing an unzipped green camo jacket with the hood pulled up over her head with a light brown t-shirt underneath. On her legs were a pair of plain blue jeans, however, there was a small hole on the left leg, where Ryohei could see the number, "5" tattooed on that leg. She also had brown hiking boots on her feet and the strap of a tall rectangular black bag with several pockets was thrown lengthwise around her body.

The girl turned towards then the moment they entered and gave them a foul expression but didn't say a word. Ryohei cleared his throat. "Hello," he greeted, before waiting for the girl to speak. However, she just remained quiet. "I'm Ryohei Kazuhara, the Ultimate Prosecutor and this is-!"

"What the do you want?" Came the gruff reply, as she looked annoyed.

Ryohei blinked. "I just wanted to introduce myself…" he said slowly.

"Well… you did that didn't you?" She replied, looking a little angry. "Can't you just leave me alone now?"

"Not until you introduce yourself," Moca said gently.

"Rin Cody, the Ultimate Hunter," she finally introduced herself. "Now can you please just _go_ and leave me _alone_?"

**Rin Cody: Ultimate Hunter**

Moca and Ryohei exchanged a look. "Um… if you don't mind me asking…" Ryohei tried to say.

"I do."

"What's in that bag?" Ryohei asked.

Rin shifted the bag to her other shoulder, looking uncomfortable. "My rifle," she answered simply.

Ryohei blinked, as Moca exclaimed in surprise, "A rifle?!"

"Well… it's supposed to have my rifle," Rin grumbled angrily, her right arm reaching behind her, but grasping nothing but air. "But when I checked it when I woke up in my room it was missing. Those damn bears probably stole it from me."

"Well they did refer to themselves as the warden, which would make this a prison," Ryohei pointed out thoughtfully. "It would essentially be disarming a prisoner, but-!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Rin suddenly snapped, making Ryohei and Moca jump. "They had no right to take my stuff. I-I didn't do anything that would make them take away my rifle!"

Ryohei blinked. "I-I was just about to agree that they shouldn't have-!" he started to say before Rin growled and took a step forward towards him making him pause.

"Don't lie!" She gritted her teeth. "You're probably working with them, aren't you?!"

"N-No, I'm not-!" Ryohei protested to no avail since it was pretty obvious that Rin had already made up her mind about him.

"Just go," she said, fuming. "Leave me alone and let me find those stupid bears by myself."

Ryohei opened his mouth but stopped when Moca tugged on his shirt, pulling him towards the door. "Let's go Ryohei," she whispered. "I don't think she wants to talk."

He hesitated, but seeing that Rin was still staring daggers at him, he relented and backed away from her. Both he and Moca took careful steps out of the medical office, doing their best to not set Rin off again and closed the door, just as Rin finally relaxed and turned back to the shelf of medicine.

When the door was finally closed, Ryohei let out a sigh. "I wonder what that was all about," he couldn't help but mumble, deciding that it wasn't worth it to maintain a façade of cordiality in regards to Rin when it was only he and Moca.

"She's probably just…" Moca tried to say, before falling quiet, unable to think of any reason for Rin's attitude. "The others are not as…" She fell silent.

"I'm sure the others will be nicer," Ryohei interrupted, in order to assuage Moca's worries. "Though her aggressiveness wasn't unwarranted," he admitted with a wince. "If I were to guess, she might just be scared."

_Of me._ He couldn't help but think. He guessed the others might have a similar suspicion of him that Sho seemed to have. That he was somehow responsible for their entrapment.

Moca studied Ryohei's face for a second, but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned her head to the left. Ryohei followed her gaze to notice a guy muttering to himself and staring at a metal grate. Behind the metal, grate was a set of staircases leading down.

He noticed them staring at him and waved, before making his way towards them. To Ryohei he looked like some sort of celebrity with a fit and athletic physique with light brown skin, broad shoulders, and groomed fingernails. He had long dark brown hair that ended at his shoulders and was styled with tousled locks that swerved around his hair, giving off a very spiky look with some messy strands perched on his forehead. He had orange-brown eyes that were almond-shaped and highlighted with some black liner. His eyebrows were a light brown and he had a diamond-shaped head with angular facial features and a greek shaped nose. He was wearing something that Ryohei recognized as a long-sleeved _djellaba _which was maroon in color and had a golden flower pattern running from the top near his collar to the lower hem along with black intricate embroidery on the sleeves. Ryohei could just see that he was wearing some dark jeans one his legs, dark brown rope strap sandals on his feet and a silk beige scarf around his neck with a black and dark red intricate mehndi pattern wrapped loosely around his neck. A pair of transparent light blue tinted aviator shades were over his eyes and there was a small brown carry pouch wrapped around his waist with a black rope tied around the djellaba.

He raised his hand in greeting and Ryohei noticed a beaded brown and blue bracelet around his right wrist and a gold ring with the letter "Z," imprinted in the sapphire on his right middle finger. Below the brown and blue bracelet, Ryohei could see a black number, "3," just below said bracelet. "Yo, dudes, what's up?" he said, with a carefree grin, in a relatively average deep voice.

"Hey, Zeyn!" Moca cheerfully greeted with the same amount of enthusiasm. "You find your smartphone yet?"

Zeyn clicked his tongue dispassionately. "Nah," he answered. "I thought I could contact my parents to get me out of here…" His eyes were drawn towards Ryohei. "So what's going on with you, never seen you before?" He blinked. "Are you that sixteenth guy Moca said she would be waiting for?"

"Yep!" Moca sheepishly smiled and tugged on Ryohei's arm. "This here is Ryohei Kazuhara, the Ultimate Prosecutor!"

Ryohei politely held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Zeyn gripped Ryohei's hand and shook his firmly. "Name's Zeyn Zafrani, Ultimate Jetsetter. Always ready to have a good time and party hard!" He pumped his left fist into the air, where Ryohei could see a black gold wristwatch around the wrist and a small silver bangle ring around the left middle finger.

**Zeyn Zafrani: Ultimate Jetsetter**

_Jetsetter?_

Ryohei just nodded, stuffing his questions away, and looked past Zeyn towards the metal grate, blocking their way down. "Is there no way to get through?" he asked.

Zeyn looked frustrated. "No," he scowled, looking away. "Whoever's running this place should be fired. Don't they know that when someone calls for the manager you should appear immediately?"

"Well…" Moca said slowly. "This is supposed to be a prison."

Zeyn paled. "Well, then I didn't do anything that would warrant me getting arrested, recently. I wouldn't hold a party in this dump, anyway." He gave a thumbs down.

Ryohei blinked. "A party?"

Zeyn smirked and placed a hand on Ryohei's shoulder. "Ah, my poor poor friend. Your poverty tugs at my heartstrings. Once I get out of here, I'll be sure to throw the grandest entertainment for you, so you don't suffer too much in prison."

Ryohei slightly frowned and pushed Zeyn's hand off him. "I'm fine," he replied. "I don't plan on staying here for very long."

"Oh please." Zeyn smiled. "If I can't get out of here with my connections than how are you going to be able to do so?"

Ryohei opened his mouth to respond, only to pull back at the last second. Technically, Zeyn was right. Ryohei hadn't considered how he would get out. It was just another problem he was stuck on while in this situation. "I don't know," he finally admitted, honestly.

"See I told you." Zeyn focused his attention on Moca. "Can you get me something to drink from the cafeteria?" he asked her. "It's just past the other bridge. I'm just assuming you're heading that way, however. If you can't, I'll just get someone else to…"

Moca blinked. "Oh uh, sure," she said a little too quickly.

Zeyn smiled and strode past them while clapping Moca on the shoulder. "Bring it to my room, yeah?" he instructed. "The third one on the bottom floor." Ryohei watched him leave as Zeyn gave them a backhanded wave, before turning the corner.

Once Ryohei heard Zeyn's footsteps completely fade away, he turned towards Moca. "You know you don't have to get him anything," he said, a hint of frustration in his voice. "He could've got it himself."

Moca laughed lightly. "Everyone has some good in them," she replied with a playful smile.

Ryohei disagreed but didn't really see the point in currently arguing with Moca and instead changed the subject. "So, I guess Sho wasn't lying and we really can't access the first floor," he said.

Moca folded her arms. "Yeah. What kind of person designs a building like this?" she wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Ryohei replied while checking the map. "Ignoring the bathrooms and classrooms, there are only one room left then." He gestured to his left towards a lone dark wooden door with a plaque that read, "Library."

Moca's eyes lit up. "Oh, a library! There's bound to be some sort of information in there!"

"Maybe," Ryohei answered, sincerely doubting that there would be anything there to help explain their situation, but he didn't want to be the negative person between the two. Instead, they made their way to the door and Ryohei pushed it open, taking a step inside.

Another Ultimate, at least Ryohei assumed it was another one given the black "14," branded on the back of her neck just underneath her ponytail, was couched in the center of the room, her finger tracing the spine of a book held within a tall bookshelf.

The numerous dark oak bookshelves within the room made sense given that it was supposed to be a library. Each shelf was packed full of leather-bound books, but made of titles that Ryohei didn't recognize at first glance. They surrounded a sort of clearing, where a couple of long tables and chairs were placed. Near the far left corner, out of the corner of his eye, Ryohei noticed a plain black door with a metal doorknob. In the far right corner were a camera and monitor.

The girl stood up when she noticed them enter and Ryohei noticed that she was about his height and presumably age. She was willowy with a lean, athletic build and lightly tanned skin with some scars on her arms and legs. She had messy, dark reddish hair that was shoulder-length but tied in a low side ponytail with a red scrunchie. She had heterochromia with her right eye colored amber and her left a light green. She was wearing a light grey short-sleeved t-shirt and light blue slacks. On her feet were a pair of pink plimsolls and she had a variety of differently colored wristbands along the length of bothered her arms. She was wearing any earrings or makeup, but she did have a panda faced purse with a long red cord slung around her body.

"Hello," she greeted them simply, eyeing them cautiously.

Ryohei took the lead in introductions this time. "I'm Ryohei Kazuhara," he introduced himself. "The Ultimate Prosecutor."

"I'm Moca Shiozaki, the Ultimate Part-Timer," Moca said, without missing a beat.

The young woman seemed to hesitate. "My… my name is… is Ruby Bradford, the Ultimate Curler." She spoke haltingly, but in a clear voice, which made Ryohei conclude that she wasn't shy. Rather, for whatever reason, she was unsure of how her words would be received.

**Ruby Bradford: Ultimate Curler**

Ryohei raised a brow. "Are you from overseas?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

Ruby relaxed slightly. "From the United Kingdom actually," she explained. "London to be exact."

He paused for a moment. Everyone he had met up had been Japanese at least until… well Zeyn, but the thought hadn't occurred to Ryohei until now. He looked at Moca. "Are there other people from other countries, here?" he asked.

Moca shrugged helplessly, but Ruby answered him, thankfully. "There are," she said. "There's an American and another person from England like me. Um… someone from France, I think… another from Ukraine and… Zeyn's from Morocco and there's a girl from… Africa, I think?"

Moca looked surprised. "You asked everyone about this?" she asked.

Ruby nodded. "I was interested. There's a lot of different Ultimates from all around the world and we're all supposed to be classmates. And…" She hesitated for a second.

However, Ryohei latched onto something else she said. "Wait," he shook his head, mentally chiding himself that he didn't think of this earlier. "You're a student of Hope's Peak Academy?"

Ruby blinked. "Yes?" she said slowly. "Though the last thing I remember was standing in front of the entrance. Next thing I knew I woke up here."

"Same here," Moca said, scratching the side of her head.

Ryohei rubbed his eyes and let out a strangled groan at the same time. "I'm such an idiot," he couldn't help but say aloud.

Ruby blinked. "Er… why?"

"I was under the assumption that there the only correlation between all of us was that we were Ultimates," Ryohei explained. "But if everyone last memory is of Hope's Peak Academy… Dammit, I should've actually thought of that before!"

"Well if we were all supposed to start attending the school then maybe this is all some sort of hazing ritual on the school's part," Moca suggested, brightly.

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. "Seems a bit much," she pointed out. "They tattooed our bodies without consent."

Moca shrugged. "A class number?"

"If that was the case then they were assigned a little randomly," Ruby said. "Zeyn's first and last name starts with a 'Z,' yet he had a '3,' as a number."

Ryohei sighed. So many questions, so few leads. He knelt down next to a bookshelf and picked out a book at random, sliding it out of its place. He flipped through it, finding it disappointingly plain- a simple book about the makeup of the brain. "Did you find anything here that might explain our situation?" he asked Ruby. When she didn't say anything he looked up and found her staring at the book in his hands with an unreadable expression. "Um… Ruby?"

Ruby blinked. "Oh, sorry, I haven't found anything." She hesitated. "Can… can you read that book?"

"Hm?" Ryohei looked down at the book in his hands. "Yeah. Though, to be honest, I'm not well versed in biology specifically, so most of this is gibberish."

"Yeah…" she said with a slow nod. "That makes sense." Ryohei raised an eyebrow, but Ruby, at the right time, chose to change the subject. "Ayako is checking the Archive Room, right now though, so she might've found something."

"Ayako?" Moca asked.

"Archive Room?" Ryohei echoed, just as the plain black door opened suddenly and a tall young woman walked out while adjusting her glasses.

Ayako, at least that was who Ryohei assumed she was, had cream-colored skin and an athletic body with a flat chest. She had curved, tea green eyes with thin, green-framed eyeglasses and focused thin eyebrows. Her strawberry-blonde hair was styled in a unique fashion with a set of twin cowlicks in the center of her hair, with her fringe avoiding her forehead and cut right below her eyebrows. The hair at her sides was evenly cut at collarbone-length and framed her face, while the rest was pulled into a scruffy red ribbon, slightly torn and stained as if she had been wearing it for a while, on the top of her head. Her ponytail was oddly styled compared to the rest of her hair, splitting off into two twirls that reached her shoulder blades. She was wearing a dark, forest green football jersey, with a logo that Ryohei couldn't identify and a number, "**4**." The Japanese flag and Adidas logo were also printed on the jersey, just above the number. There were other companies and logos that Ryohei recognized and a thin red line on the jersey around the neck and sleeve holes. On her legs were a pair of white football shorts with dark green stripes on the sides. Green socks with the Adidas logo on them and a white rim were worn on her feet along with a pair of white and green turf shoes.

She gave both Moca and Ryohei a suspicious look. "Who are you?" she practically spat out.

"Ryohei Kazuhara," Ryohei introduced himself, wincing at the clear suspicion that was directed towards him. "Ultimate Prosecutor."

Her eyes flicked over to Moca coldly. To Moca's credit, she didn't seem perturbed. "I'm Moca Shiozaki, the Ultimate Part-Timer."

She frowned, unimpressed. "The girl who was wanted to stand outside a door waiting?" she asked.

Moca cheerfully nodded. "Yep, that's me!"

The young woman snorted. "I'm Ayako Hamasaki," she said, introducing herself, her voice a little lower in tone. "I'm the Ultimate Footballer."

**Ayako Hamasaki: Ultimate Footballer**

Ryohei nodded. Well, what she was wearing was a typical football, or soccer, jersey. As she turned around to address Ruby, Ryohei caught the back of the jersey, where her number was printed again along with her last name in white lettering.

"Did you find anything?" Ruby asked curiously.

Ayako shook her head. "Nothing unless you were dying to know about the stock market," she answered coldly.

Ruby deflated. "Oh…"

Ryohei cleared his throat, drawing all eyes towards him. "If you don't mind me asking," he said, addressing Ayako. "What number are you?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What's it to you?" she asked, hotly.

"It's '4.' Am I right?" Moca guessed.

Now it was Moca's turned to be glared at in suspicion by Ayako. "How did you…?"

"The number on your jersey," Moca answered, quickly. "It was just a guess. I didn't think I would actually get it right."

Ryohei frowned, as Ayako just scowled at Moca. If he really was the last one out of his room, then that meant that there were only seven others that he had yet to meet. He pulled out his MonoID and checked the map. Other than the singular classroom in the middle of the floor and the male and female restrooms on either side, with the male restroom next to the library and the female restrooms next to the medical office, there wasn't anything left on this floor. There were still several other buildings that he had yet to see, most of which were completely unconnected to the main building he was currently in.

"So, what's your crime?" Ayako suddenly asked.

Ryohei looked up from his MonoID to see Ayako glaring at him. "What?" he said, blinking.

Ayako sneered. "So, what's the crime they decided to pin on you?" she asked, slowly, as if speaking to a toddler.

"Oh, uh…" Ryohei fumbled with his words, suddenly realizing that he was surrounded by three people who would probably not take to kindly to hearing about his supposed crime. "What about you?" he asked desperately trying to turn the discussion back onto Ayako, as Ruby and Moca watched curiously.

Ayako rolled her eyes. "I asked you first," she said, tapping her foot impatiently.

"I can share, too, if you want," Ruby offered, kindly. "These crimes make no sense anyway."

"You should share yours too, Ayako!" Moca exclaimed. "You're the one who asked first, after all."

Ayako snorted. "No thanks."

"Why not?" Moca said indignantly.

Ayako turned up her nose. "Because I don't have to," she replied coldly.

"Come one, please-!"

Sensing that Ayako was going to take much more pestering from Moca, Ryohei held up his hands. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you," he said. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm accused of kidnapping a group of girls and killing them." Once he finally admitted it, he shifted uncomfortably on the heels of his feet as a short silence followed.

Finally, Moca let out a faux gasp of horror. "Is that what you were going to do to me? Ryohei how could you?! I trusted you!"

Ryohei panicked and held up his hands. "N-No, I wasn't going to do anything!" he spluttered, frantically. "I would never do something like this-!" His voice died when he realized that Moca was now laughing and pointing at him. "Oh…" he mumbled, as she continued to laugh.

Ayako scrutinized him. "I'm having a hard time believing you're a prosecutor much less some sort of perverted killer," she admitted, turning her gaze away from him with a huff. "You've got no backbone."

"I'm better in a courtroom," Ryohei muttered, halfheartedly.

Ruby was quiet. "Mine… isn't nowhere as serious as that," she finally admitted. "But my 'crime,' is that I held the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom hostage."

Ryohei blinked. "What?" he said flatly, as, next to him, Moca started cracking up again.

Ruby giggled albeit a little nervously. "Uh… yeah. I also apparently killed a bunch of people… with curling equipment, while I was trying to hold the prime minister hostage."

As Ryohei just stared at her dumbfounded, Moca was still laughing. "So… what?" she exclaimed, wiping a tear from her eye. "Did you like… sweep them to death with a broom or something?! That's so silly!"

Ruby seemingly couldn't help but laugh too, albeit a lot more subdued. "I don't really know," she admitted. "The blurb within my MonoID didn't go into much detail. I just can't wrap my brain around just a riduculous crime."

Ayako merely huffed. Ryohei couldn't help smiling, but as he looked back down at the map the smile faded quickly.

If he had to be honest, Ryohei was completely lost about his current situation. The strange crimes, the building that wouldn't even let them on the first floor, and the eight other people he had met on the way here. The only thing that connected him and the others were the fact that they were all Ultimates. Different ethnicities, different personalities, even talents that didn't seem connected in any other ways.

He only could guess what was truly going on.

Xxx

**If I misrepresented your character in any way, please contact me through either review and PM. If there are any mistakes I may have made in regards to characters whether it be through dialogue, actions, or whatsoever, it'll be changed soon enough. I anticipate these three chapters to be heavily edited until my grasp of all the characters is better. I do anticipate I may have made some mistakes since this is the first time I've ever done an SYOC.**

**Regardless, review and constructive criticism are appreciated.**


	4. A Punished Beginning (Part 2)

Chapter 2- A Punished Beginning: Meeting the Other Prisoners Part 2

**Edit(11/12/19): Added Review Replies. Legitimately forgot as it's not something that I regularly do. I want to at least do it for this story. (These are reviews to the first chapter not this one)**

**TheRoseShadow21: I'm glad you enjoyed Ruby's crime! The explanation does come off a little silly which is what I for!**

**Pokemon Trainer Tom: Glad you enjoyed Haruto and the other characters! I ended up fixing that dialogue part you mentioned, so I hope it's better.**

**PainX65: Glad you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you enjoy this one!**

**Knifez: The dialogue is an important part of a DR story, in my opinion, so I am glad that you think I nailed it. I'm also glad you think the descriptions of each room is good. That tends to be the hardest part for me to write.**

**Scissor-Snipper: I did manage to fix some of the mistakes that I noticed along with the ones you pointed out, so thank you for that! I'm glad that you were fine with Ayako's characterization, as I had been a little worried about her.**

**SyrotheWritten: Glad you enjoyed Sho!**

**Glass-Lady-of-the-Opera: Your character does appear in this chapter! I hope I did him justice!**

* * *

Ryohei was standing in the middle of the hallway, checking his map just one more time. With the library checked, that was everything on the second floor of the main building already explored. He had neglected to check the bathrooms and the other classroom in the middle for the floor but given Haruto had come he had sufficiently explored most of the floor. Of course, that left the male restrooms, but Ryohei really doubted he found find anything of note there.

Though, if he had to honest with himself, he didn't _really_ know what he was looking for.

An escape route?

But it would be easier to just scale the walls instead of looking for some sort of secret passageway. He wasn't even sure there was some sort of secret passageway. While they were being called prisoners, the rooms gave Ryohei the impression that they were inside a school.

An explanation?

True, he _was_ looking for something with a semblance of an explanation for everything he had encountered in the past hour. Two strangely colored stuffed bears calling themselves Co-Wardens, a mysterious Ultimate Judge, and the crimes they had supposedly done. Ruby's crime had been rather goofy and his crime was something he would never do, he was certain of that. But did that mean all the crimes they had been accused of were fake? Both Ayako and Moca hadn't divulged their own crimes, but both were too busy laughing at Ruby's, so Ryohei chalked it up to the two of them not getting a chance to reveal them.

"Ryohei?" He heard Moca's voice from behind him and turned around to her inquisitive look. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just thinking," he brushed aside. "Anyway, there are only seven more people left?"

"Yep," she confirmed. "The rest might be waiting in the building over."

Ryohei nodded, agreeing with her conclusion. There were only two paths away from the cells. Either they could head away from the building towards the walls or follow the path laid out for them through the second floor and then to the second facility next to it. "It's supposed to be a cafeteria, right?" he asked, as they made there way out of the door and onto the metal walkway.

"I think so." She nodded before her eyes widened. "Oh, I almost forgot!" she exclaimed. "Zeyn asked me to get a drink from the cafeteria."

Ryohei frowned. "You don't have to get it for him," he echoed his previous statement from before.

Moca just waved him off. "It's fine. It's fine," she said brightly. "I don't mind doing the work!"

"Alright…" he said a little uncertainly, as they made their way to the brown door of the cafeteria.

"Though…" Moca frowned herself. "I would have to leave you to go and deliver his drink."

"It's okay," Ryohei pointed out. "I can wait for you."

"No, no, I can't make you wait, but… hmm…" Moca frowned and tapped her chin, just as Ryohei opened the door and entered the room on the other side.

It was a stark difference compared to the rooms within the main building. This one had a homier feel to it, with a bright oak wood planks as walls. The inside was just the second floor, but Ryohei noticed a plain white door in the far corner of the room that held a set of wooden stairs leading down. The room itself was something akin to a lounge, with two purple and blue couches and two brown leather recliners situated around a small coffee table. A dartboard, pinball machine, and a pool table were situated in the corner and on the wall, surprisingly, was a television screen, separate from the monitor that was situated in the corner of the wall right next to a large camera pointed right at Ryohei.

A boy had been kneeling just below the television muttering to himself, but when they entered, he stood up giving the two of them a wary look.

He was slim but toned, lithe and agile, with hazel eyes and shaggy blonde hair held underneath a backward black baseball cap. He was rather average looking, wearing a white v-neck t-shirt along with a plain black hoodie, dark denim jeans and black and white sneakers.

"Who are you?" he asked, cautiously, with a slight Ukrainian accent.

"Ryohei Kazuhara," Ryohei introduced himself for the umpteenth time that day. "Ultimate Prosecutor."

"Moca Shiozaki," Moca said without missing a beat. "Ultimate Part-Timer."

The boy blinked. "Interesting talents," he said rather quickly. "I'm North Tchovsky, the Ultimate Juggler. Or Prisoner 7, I guess. It is very nice to meet you."

**North Tchovsky: Ultimate Juggler **

"A juggler!" Moca exclaimed, excitedly. "You mean like a clown!?"

"No," North bitterly responded. "Not like a clown."

"You have a number too?" Ryohei asked as he didn't see it anywhere on North's body.

"It's on my chest," North explained, pulling the collar of his shirt down and to the left slightly so that Ryohei could see the full number tattooed on his chest. "Honestly I didn't even know it was there until I left my room and Pauline pointed it out for me…" He shook his head in disbelief, before turning his attention back to Ryohei. "So, you're the sixteenth, huh? I'm guessing you're going around introducing yourself to everyone?"

"That's right!" Moca confirmed with a nod before Ryohei could say anything.

"Need any help?" North offered. "I've already met everyone else. I could introduce you to them."

Ryohei opened his mouth to decline- he didn't want to trouble North and it wasn't like he was socially inept- but Moca beat him to the punch. "That would be great!" she exclaimed, enthusiastically, clapping her hands together. "I need to make a delivery anyway!" She gave Ryohei a look. "You don't mind, do you?"

Ryohei merely shrugged. "If you're fine with it, I guess," he said, uncertainly. He wasn't sure about Moca just doing Zeyn's bidding when Zeyn could've easily gotten himself a drink.

"Thanks!" Moca raised a hand in goodbye and, quickly, opened the door in the corner of the room, bolting down the bright oak doors on the other side.

A moment of silence passed between them. "So…" Ryohei said a little slowly, already missing Moca's upbeat attitude. "What were you doing with that TV?"

North frowned. "Trying to turn it on of course," he answered, giving the television an annoyed look. "If I could get a signal maybe I could figure out where we are. I mean, sure, it's a prison, but I don't know where this prison is. Country or even continent." He sighed.

"But you couldn't get it to connect?" Ryohei concluded.

North shook his head. "No," he said shortly. "I mean it wouldn't even turn on, so it's not like I even got far enough to check for any sort of signal." He shrugged. "Trust me, we're not going to get anywhere by trying to mess with it. I've wasted enough time on it."

"If you say so," Ryohei replied. "Should I continue my tour of the prison, then?"

North's mouth curved into a small smile. "Of course, would you like an audio recording to explain each detail of the prison, Mr. Tourist?"

Ryohei chuckled and waited for North to take the lead, but North didn't move. Finally, North said, his smile dropping from his face, "You can take the lead. I'll follow."

Ryohei blinked. "Oh… yeah, sure. No problem." Ryohei went through the door Moca had left not too long ago and down the stairs with North following right behind him. At the very end of the stairs was another door like the one at the top. He opened it and found himself, finally, on the ground floor of the prison.

This room was a lot like how Ryohei imagined a cafeteria would look like, except less like one from a prison movie but, again, something from a well-off private school. There were several nice-looking grey tables that were bolted down to the floor and foldable plastic chairs, though with leather seats for comfort. From where he was, after stepping off the staircase, he was right next to the left wall, with a pair of doors to the front leading out to the dusty wasteland outside. Just as Ryohei entered, he noticed Moca leaving through the doors, carrying a small bottle of water. Similar to the above floor there was another monitor and camera in the top corner of the room.

To his right was a small kitchen, with a set of double doors with circular windows. Ryohei couldn't see much of what was inside, but in front of the doors was a young woman, another prisoner, at least he assumed. She had apparently just interacted with Moca, as she was giving the door a rather blissful wave.

Ryohei walked straight towards her but paused, when she noticed _him_ and a brief flash of heavy suspicion passed through her face, though it was gone almost instantly. She was scrawny and looked a little weak, with pale skin and brown freckles. She had round indigo eyes and brown messy hair that had been tied into pigtails. She wasn't wearing anything noteworthy, just a pair of ragged dark blue jeans, a faded blue cotton t-shirt with short sleeves and old black sneakers. On both of her ears were two shiny red rose earrings.

North pulled him back by the hem of his clothes. "Calm down," he whispered to Ryohei, before walking past him. "Hello," he greeted shortly, waiting for her to speak.

Her face relaxed slightly. "Oh, North," she greeted him amicably, though her posture was still tense. "You came right on time. I made chocolate-chip cookies for everyone! Would you and your friend like one?" She tilted her head as if realizing something. "Um… sorry, I don't recognize him. Who is he?"

"He's Ryohei Kazuhara," North said gesturing to him. "The Ultimate Prosecutor."

"The Ultimate Prosecutor…" she repeated, only looking more wary of him.

Still, Ryohei didn't let that shake him too much. At this point, he was used to it. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," she said. "I'm Mirai Watanabe, the Ultimate Babysitter."

**Mirai Watanabe: Ultimate Babysitter**

"These cookies are really good," North complimented, a cookie in his mouth. When Ryohei wasn't looking, North had apparently swiped a cookie from the nearby metal tray. "How did you make these?"

"The kitchen is stocked with food," Mirai explained. "There's also blenders, mixers, ovens, refrigerators… well with everything within the kitchen, making something as simple as chocolate chip cookies took no time at all."

Ryohei grabbed a single cookie and took a bite of it himself. His eyes widened. "It's good," he found himself, saying in between bites until the cookie was nothing more than crumbs in his hand.

Mirai beamed. "T-thank you!"

Ryohei dusted his hands. "So what number are you?" he asked.

Mirai stiffened. "Um… excuse me?"

His brow furrowing, sensing something was wrong but barreled on with his question. "You number," he said, showing him his right hand curled into a fist. "I was just wondering where it was-Urk!" He felt a sudden sharp pain on the right side of his stomach and glanced to that side to see North giving him an annoyed look.

Mirai had backed away from them and her back was now against the doors that led to the kitchen. "Well… that's…" she hesitated, her suspicious looks of Ryohei now more blatant.

"We're sorry, Mirai," North quickly said, trying to come to Ryohei's rescue. "He didn't mean anything by the question." He grabbed Ryohei's arm and began to drag him towards the door. "We'll… we'll leave you alone, now."

"Yes." Mirai was still giving the two of them suspicious looks. "It…" She hesitated before continuing. "It was nice meeting you, Ryohei."

Ryohei opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, North had already dragged him through the doors that led outside into the prison yard. The last face he was Mirai make was that of complete suspicion directed at him.

Once they were outside, North let go of his arm. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

Ryohei rubbed the part of his arm which North had grabbed. "I said something wrong, didn't I?" he asked glumly.

"Don't blame yourself," North said, reassuringly. "I saw Isaiah make the same mistake as you. It seems like she is just extremely cautious of males in general. If I had to guess, its probably because of some sort of trauma." He hesitated. "I don't know what it's about though."

Ryohei just nodded. "In the end, we're still all just strangers," he reasoned. "I don't think we have any right to be prying into her personal business."

"Yeah," North agreed, before looking down and shaking his head. "It's not like I can blame her for not wanting to talk about her past…" he muttered.

Ryohei pretended he didn't hear that. "Still why did asking about her number set her off?" he asked.

North looked around as if to check if Mirai was listening in. "Well, it's in a pretty embarrassing place. I got Pauline to tell me where it was, but…" He sighed. "Well, she's prisoner number 2. The number is apparently tattooed around her bellybutton." He shifted on his feet awkwardly.

"I'm sure it'll be better if we all manage to figure out what's going on and manage to get out of here," Ryohei muttered looking around at his surroundings. There wasn't much, as they were just standing in the middle of the front yard of the "prison." It was barren. The single interesting thing that Ryohei noticed was near the large metal gate. A young man was standing there, his expression plain, as he examined the wall.

"Who's he?" Ryohei asked North.

North followed his gaze and winced. "Oh, he's Erik Daae… um… just don't be too surprised when you see him."

Ryohei frowned, as they got closer towards Erik. "What do you mean?"

"Just... you'll understand when you see him."

Ryohei gave North a weird look, just as the young man waiting near the gate turned around, noticing the two walking towards him. Catching a glimpse of his face, Ryohei paused unable to hide the surprise on his face.

Erik was a rather tall person with a slender figure and fair complexion. He was wearing what Ryohei would describe as a butler's uniform with black trousers, a six-buttoned double-breasted tailcoat, and a grey vest with a black tie. His hands were covered by a pair of white gloves reminiscent of a butler's and black dress shoes. The strangest thing about him, that had initially startled Ryohei, was the pure white mask that only covered the right side of his face, so that only his bright red left eye was visible along with smooth black hair that reached down slightly past his neck, parting in the middle at the front of his face. Just below his left eye was a small black "13," tattooed onto his skin.

Erik placed his right on his chest and bowed. "You must be number sixteen," he greeted in a calm and soothing voice. "It is very nice to meet you. I am Erik Daae. The Ultimate Composer."

**Erik Daae: Ultimate Composer**

"Oh… uh…" Ryohei found himself fumbling with his words, unable to take his eyes off the phantom mask on Erik's face. "I'm… uh… Ryohei Kazuhara, the Ultimate Prosecutor."

Erik blinked. "A prosecutor…?" he mused, curling his hand and placing it under his chin in thought. "A rather impressive talent if you don't mind me saying."

Ryohei grimaced. "Ah… well actually…" He shook his head, deciding to drop the subject. "What are you doing?" he asked Erik.

"Of course." Erik stiffened to attention. "I was just examining the gate to see if there was any secret way to open this gate. However, as far as I can tell, there isn't anything." He pointed up, towards the top of the wall, where Ryohei could see a thin walkway with steel guardrails that were attached about halfway up the doors. However, there didn't see to be any way to get on it from the ground or the top of the walls. "There are those," Erik continued. "But no way to get there."

"They did call it a prison," North grumbled.

"It looks like a place where some guards would be stationed," Ryohei said aloud. "Did you perhaps see those two bears anywhere near here."

Erik shook his head. "No," he answered. "Since coming out of my room, I have not seen the two wardens."

Ryohei groaned. "Where could they be hiding…" he muttered. Would they really have to figure out a way inside the first floor of the main building in order to meet with the two bears again?

"If I may state my opinion, Mister Kazuhara," Erik said.

Ryohei glanced at Erik and waited for him to speak, but Erik just looked expectantly at him. After some silence, he realized that Erik was waiting for his permission and he quickly nodded. "Of course, you can."

"Thank you." Erik bowed slightly again, before glancing up towards the top of the wall. "It is just my opinion, but I don't believe we should escape or initiate any sort of prison break."

Ryohei just stared at Erik as North frowned. "That doesn't make any sense," North pointed out, sounding a little annoyed. "We're in a prison. We're… we're innocent… of course! There's no reason that we should stay here!"

"If we are innocent," Erik said, calmly. "Would it not look more suspicious if we ran?"

North blinked. "O-Oh. That's actually a good point…"

Ryohei looked thoughtful. "If we're already in prison, then it more than likely we've already been prosecuted for our crimes and gone to some sort of trial."

Erik nodded. "In which case, we should try to prove our innocence rather than run." He smiled charmingly, before bowing again. "Regardless, these are my own thoughts on how we should handle this matter."

Ryohei found himself pondering the idea. Attempting to prove their innocence… it sounded like an interesting idea to him. Not a great idea, granted, since Ryohei had no real idea of how to go about trying to prove his innocence. He had basically nothing to do on but his own memory. But still, if he could-!

"Hey!" North snapped his fingers in front of Ryohei's face, startling him out of his thoughts. North examined his face looking concerned. "You're spacing out, Ryohei, are you okay?"

"Forgive me for my insensitiveness, Mister Tchovsky," Erik said. "But that was a little rude."

North grimaced. "Well… sorry, he looked a little out of it."

"I'm fine North," Ryohei answered. "I was just thinking." He addressed Erik. "Thanks, Erik. You gave me something to think about."

Erik looked mildly surprised. "Glad to be of service," he said with another bow. "If you need some information on where some of the others are, I believe they are in the back yard of the prison. There's an open space there with several other buildings not connected to the main one"

"Thanks, Erik," Ryohei said again a little more firmly this time. He gave the boy a short wave, which Erik responded to with another low bow, before heading back towards the dorms (or cells), intending to go around it. He could hear North following him, the gravel and sand crunching underneath the sole of his sneakers.

"So, what were you thinking about?" North asked after a while, around the moment they passed by the dorms. Ryohei caught a glimpse of Sho, still waiting near the rooms, but staring intently at his MonoID. Sho noticed them and scowled in their direction, before shifting his body, so that Ryohei couldn't see what he had been looking at on his screen.

"Hm?" Ryohei made a sound, only half-listening to North's question.

"You said you were thinking," North pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "What was it about?"

"Oh…" Ryohei shook his head, glancing behind him at North. "It's… It's really nothing. Just an idea I had."

North studied his face. "Fine," she said begrudgingly.

They rounded the corner so that they were behind the main building and the dorms. The backyard of the prison was mostly empty save for some more buildings and the continuation tall wall that encircled the prison. Two were situated in the left and right corners of the prison yard while the third was connected to the back of the main building and seemed to be two floors high. However, Ryohei didn't recall the second floor being as large as the outside suggested nor any door that led to another part of the room.

In front of the building was another young woman. "That's Pauline," Ryohei heard North mutter to him from behind. She noticed them almost instantly and strode over to them with a graceful and elegant walk. She was tall and thin, but with an hourglass figure. Her skin was tanned but clear of any blemishes. Her slim eyes were green, and she had long lashes. Her long wavy black hair was tied into a bun with an aqua scrunchie. Pauline was wearing pastel pink, shoulder-less crop top with a white, lace bralette and a pair of light blue, ripped jeans. On her feet were a pair of red stilettos and a small white scrunchie was placed on her right wrist. Her fingernails were painted with pink nail polish and pink lipgloss. On both ears, she had diamond studs shaped a little like hearts. On the palm of her right hand, Ryohei could see a black, "11," tattooed there.

She raised her hand and gave them a light wave. "Hello~!" she said in a smooth but posh and classy voice. The three of them were just walking towards each other, so they ended up meeting each other rather quickly. Her smile was bright. "Pauline Marie Celeste, the Ultimate Runway Model," she introduced herself without prompt. "It is very nice to meet both of you!"

**Pauline Mari Celeste: Ultimate Runway Model**

"Um… Pauline…" North said, looking a little disheartened. "We've already met…"

"We have?!" Pauline sounded surprised and she folded her arms in thought, before snapping her fingers. "Of course. You are the circus clown, right?"

North recoiled. "Uh… no wait, I'm not-"

Pauline clapped her hands together and beamed. "I would love to see you do some tricks sometime!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I absolutely adored that tiny car trick as a tot."

"I just said I'm-!"

"Where's your red nose?" Pauline interrupted, excitedly. "The one that sounds like a mouse-!"

"Pauline," Ryohei said seriously, stepping in between Pauline and North. "North has been trying to say for the past minutes that he isn't actually a clown. You're not letting him speak."

Pauline covered her mouth in surprise, before looking guilty. "Oh! I apologize! I wasn't thinking with my words!"

"I-It's alright," North muttered. "Um… just don't do it again."

Pauline directed her gaze at Ryohei. "Are you the sixteenth?" she asked.

Ryohei nodded. "My name's Ryohei Kazuhara. I'm the Ultimate Prosecutor."

"Ah!" Pauline nodded. "It is very nice to meet you." She bowed her head. "If you ever need someone to talk to feel free to ask!"

Ryohei chuckled sheepishly. "I'll be sure to do that." He glanced past her towards the building she had been near. "What were you doing?"

Pauline frowned. "Well, I was trying to get inside by using those sets of doors. But, to my dismay, it seems as though they are sealed off." She shrugged helplessly. "Perhaps there is something there that the wardens don't want us to see."

"Like everywhere else? North grumbled. "Seriously this place makes no sense!"

"Perhaps to enter it's based on some sort of merit system," Pauline mused.

Ryohei's head snapped over to her. "What?"

"Like, if you are more popular than another then you'll be allowed in," Pauline suggested with a shrug. "It's closed off to only the people who deserve to enter. Or maybe as a group we all have to be famous enough to go inside." She folded her arms and sighed. "Honestly, if my theory were true and I was allowed contact with my agents I would make you all famous just we can go inside."

Ryohei frowned. "Then it's plausible we have to convince Monoden and Monoline to let us in."

"If we consider that we're in a prison, then maybe we have to be on good behavior," North suggested with a shrug. "Though I would just prefer to be let out rather than be able to just go into more places."

"Still… good behavior?" Ryohei repeated, not feeling as though that was the correct answer. "Just being able to go through more of this prison isn't that good of an incentive for good behavior. Especially if we were arrested for our crimes." He shook his head. "I mean… they're obviously fake. There's got to be another reason to keep everything unlocked."

North and Pauline seemed suddenly uncomfortable. "Yeah," North muttered. "I would never do something like that." However, he sounded a little unsure of himself.

"Hmph." Pauline averted her eyes away from Ryohei, purposely not meeting his eyes. "As if I could do anything like that," she flicked her hair back. "I would never do something so heinous."

Ryohei looked between the two, not sure of what to make of their reactions. He suddenly realized that he never actually explained his own supposed crime but felt as though now wouldn't be the best time to reveal it. Instead, he asked Pauline, "There are three others that we haven't met. Do you know where they are?"

Pauline smiled gently. "Of course, I'm always happy to help." She pointed to each of the buildings that Ryohei had noticed before. "Nafia went to that grey building and I saw Kaori go to the other one with Isaiah following her."

"Thanks," Ryohei said. "I'll go check to see if they found anything noteworthy."

"I did see both of them actually be able to go inside," Pauling said. "I'm so jealous." She giggled and waved her hand playfully, to show that she didn't mean any harm.

Ryohei perked up. Something of actual substance rather than just another locked door? That was interesting enough on its own. "We'll see you later," he said to Pauline, before turning on his heels and jogging back towards the building that was closest to him.

It was a small building that was colored grey and looked like a small house with two rooms. There were no windows but there were two doors that he could use to enter the house. Ryohei tried the one closest to him or the leftmost door only, to his disappointment, to find it locked. "You're joking," he muttered, trying to turn the doorknob and failing.

"This one works," North announced and Ryohei turned to his right to see that North had opened the rightmost door and was holding it open.

Ryohei just shook his head. "What's the point of having two doors if one of them is just locked," he complained, entering the room.

North shrugged helplessly, as he followed Ryohei inside, closing the door behind him.

Ryohei's heart dropped when he took a good long look at his surroundings. The room was exceedingly bland with barely a thing of interest inside. The room didn't match the size of the building from the outside, so unless it was some sort of optical illusion there was more of this small building, they couldn't yet access. Regardless of the room, they were in now was just plain and a little boring. Gray walls with no windows looking out and a barren obsidian counter in the back with two leather seats just behind it, like it were some sort of receptionist's desk or bank teller's desk. There were only two things on the counter. Two desk wedges were on either side of the counter, with the names, "Monoline," and "Monoden," engraved on them. Just above the desk was another monitor and camera, swiveling to look at them the moment they entered.

Behind the counter was someone, however, though it was definitely not the Co-Wardens. It was a short girl who had a skinny frame with only very few curves and a small chest. She had an oval-shaped face with a subtly pointed chin, high cheekbones and a dusting of darker freckles across the bridge of her nose. She had light amber brown irises set back in wide doe shaped eyes. Above them were naturally long eyelashes and her eyebrows sat a few centimeters above each eye, both of medium thickness and were currently slightly droopy. She also had a small pointed nose and thin brown lips, which were moving soundlessly. Her medium-sized ears were visible through her hair since most of it was tucked behind them. Her hair was a dark brown, almost black at first glance, with some odd shades of darker green and the odd white highlight streaking through her partings, the white more-so in the strands that frame her face and are tucked behind her ears. Her hair was worn in a long and decorative woven plait that draped over her right shoulder, along with a thin and slightly slanted fringe that hung down the left side of her face. Strands of hair on the left side of her face have also been woven into a small and delicate braid hanging down to her chin and secured with a small blue band. On the sides of her head, her hair had been wrapped to form a pair of triangular buns a few strands hanging loosely from the clips securing them, slightly resembling a pair of thick pointed horns. She had a long thin scar across her left cheek and another on her right cheek, just below her eye. There was decorative face paint on her cheeks and a black number "1," was tattooed on the front of her neck.

She was wearing a three-quarter length sleeve blouse that was light green with a few faint ruffles, though it some small amount of wear and tear. Over that was a long, flowing, and thick dark brown cloak that was secured at her collar with a worn dark green ribbon, kept open at the sides to reveal her blouse. The clock went from her neck down to her ankles and was also decorated with some faint embroidery that Ryohei couldn't understand the meaning of. It was several organized rows at the rim of her cloak of lines, triangle, starts and other outlines that resembled occult symbols that Ryohei had seen in books or on television. She had rolled the cloak's sleeves up to her elbows and the hood was not pulled over her head, so Ryohei could see her face. On her lower body, was a long flowing skirt that reached her ankles as well, that was a dark midnight blue shade and patterned with more embroidery, though these looked more delicate, that resembled constellations of stars. On her feet were a pair of tan-colored strap sandals with no heels and were secured with simple oval buckles. The girl had a variety of accessories, including what looked like makeshift bandages on her lower arms and a light brown worn patch satchel slung over one shoulder that looked heavy for someone of her stature. Around her waist was another tan colored bag with several pouches. In her hair were a garland of flowers, with a few beads hanging off the ends and a small pale feather dangling on either end. She also wore a necklace of beads around her neck with a similar color and pendants hanging from them.

The girl had been muttered something underneath her breath, her hands clasped together in prayer. Ryohei took a step forward to introduce himself but was surprised when North held him back. He looked behind him at the Ultimate Juggler to see that North looked a little uneasy. "Something wrong?" he asked, a little too loudly, startling the girl into snapping her head towards them in alarm. However, she seemed to relax when she noticed that it was them.

She tilted her head to the right. "Oh… you startled me," she said a little slowly. "…Hello." She paused before asking, "Are you lost, too? … I have no idea where… where I am."

Ryohei looked concerned. "You don't know where you are?" he asked. "Um… if I had to guess…" He looked around. "We're in some sort of Warden's office. I guess if Monoline and Monoden were here then they would be sitting right there." He gestured towards the desk nearby, before turning back towards the girl. "By the way, my name is Ryohei Kazuhara, the Ultimate Prosecutor."

"Ah… Thank you, Ryohei." The girl nodded, clasping her hands together, where Ryohei noticed that she only had four fingers on each hand. "May Mama Quabso bless you, Ryohei...it must be fate...that we met. Intended by...the Goddesses themselves."

Ryohei exchanged a look with North who just looked exasperated. North shrugged and didn't speak up, making it clear that Ryohei was on his own. So, Ryohei cleared his throat and asked, "What's your name?"

The girl blinked. "Oh… yes. I am… Nafia Onyilogwu. ...I have been blessed...with the gift of magick from Mama Quabso herself...to help others with my talent. ...I am to improve the health and well-being of others...and cure their ailments with my elixirs...as the Ultimate Traditional Healer…"

**Nafia Onyilogwu: Ultimate Traditional Healer**

"Sorry?" Ryohei frowned. "Magick?"

Nafia nodded.

"But- Ow!" Ryohei was about to talk, but North suddenly jabbed his side with an elbow.

"Nafia," North suddenly said, ignoring Ryohei's pain. "Monoline and Monoden. Did you see them?"

Nafia nodded. "Yes… I did," she answered."

"You did!" Ryohei's eye widened, as he almost shouted, causing Nafia to flinch and back away from him. "Did they say anything? What did they do here? Do you know where they went?!"

Another jab to his side courtesy of North. Ryohei's ribs were starting to become a little sore from the constant beating they were getting from the Ultimate Juggler. "Sorry about him, Nafia," North apologized for his sake. "He just wants to know if the two wardens said anything."

Nafia shook her head, before averting her eyes. "Once I had entered… they left almost immediately. I didn't… get a chance… to say anything to them."

"That's…" North frowned. "That's a little worrying." He glanced at Ryohei. "You think this means that even if we do somehow find them, they won't even bother staying around to ask our questions?"

"Probably," Ryohei answered while still rubbing his side. If that was the case then how would they get any answers from them. They still hadn't located the Ultimate Judge they had referred to and if the two bears were missing too… "Nafia," he suddenly said, turning his attention towards the Ultimate Traditional Healer. "You said you were lost?"

Nafia nodded. "This place…" she said softly, tilting her head to the right. "Is very confusing…. I am not… used to it."

"Do you need some help getting back to the main building?" Ryohei offered Nafia, kindly.

Nafia looked a little surprised before shaking her head. "No… it is alright," she said, little slowly as if unsure how to properly respond. "If you don't mind, however… I'd like to be pointed to the medical office."

North pulled out his MonoID and showed Nafia the map. "Just go to the cafeteria and go up from there. It's on the second floor on the main building, to the left of the rooms," he explained clearly.

Nafia studied the map before bowing her head. "Thank you," she almost whispered. "May Mama Quabso bless you and may we meet again under her guidance." She walked, almost glided towards the open door, closing it behind her.

A moment passed, before Ryohei frowned, still massaging his side. "Is there something I should know?" he asked once Nafia was out of earshot.

North looked a little guilty. "Well um… you know how she was number 1, right?"

Ryohei nodded.

"It just, if that's the case then she was the first one out. Out of everyone here… well, _she_ was the only one that someone didn't see exit their room. Plus… she's a little strange. I don't really know what to make of her. I mean she could be hiding something about her interaction with Monoline and Monoden here."

"So you don't trust her," Ryohei surmised.

North nodded. It was fair, Ryohei thought. He could understand North's reasoning, but… "I'll disagree if you don't mind," he said not meeting North's eyes. "She just didn't seem like the person who would lie." Ryohei had gained an understanding of how people would lie after a couple of years of prosecuting cases. But Nafia just didn't strike him as someone like that.

North was silent for a moment before he threw back his head and sighed, aggressively scratching his head. "Or maybe I just have a thing against people who are smaller than me. There was a guy I once knew who was like a foot shorter than me, but taller in places that mattered more to some of the women I've met." He looked at Ryohei expectantly.

Ryohei just blinked. "Was…" He hesitated. "Was that a dick joke?"

North chuckled. "Yeah, though by your reaction it wasn't a very good one."

"N-No!" Ryohei lied through his teeth. "I-I thought it was actually…" He sighed. "Ok it was pretty awful," he finally admitted.

Another laugh from North. "Well we should get going," he said, turning his back on the prosecutor. "We've got two more people to meet and one more place to explore." He shook his head. "And if I know Isaiah, he's probably still with her…" With that foreboding line, he left the Warden's Office.

Ryohei raised a brow and began to follow North but paused in the middle of the doorway, looking back at the Warden's Office, namely at the two nameplates. Just where were those two bears? Though the better question was to wonder _what_ exactly they were.

With a shake of his head, Ryohei exited the building but left the door open, just so if they came back to the office, there would be a chance of someone seeing them. He looked towards the final building, in the left-most corner of the wall. It was a medium-sized building with brick walls with only a pair of large double doors facing the south.

North was already there, so Ryohei had to jog his way over there. About the time he was three-quarters of the way, North glanced his way, gave him a nod, and entered the building. Ryohei heard a loud gasp from inside followed by an exclamation, "This is great!"

Speeding up his pace, Ryohei also entered the building, screeching to a halt the moment he was inside.

Gray steel shelves and more shelves lined the floor of the large room, their height stretching all the way up to the ceiling. The shelves were bolted to the floor and thin rolling ladders were placed against the wall, presumably to be used to reach the higher shelves. And what was placed on the shelves? Well… basically, everything that Ryohei could think of. He saw a large shelf stacked with nothing but safes, another with fireworks, and some shelves farther in the back that looked refrigerators holding ice cream and soda.

Ryohei caught North staring at some baseballs and, as he watched, North grabbed a ball and began to toss it between his hands. North noticed Ryohei staring. "I never expected to find something like this," he admitted.

"Same here," Ryohei found himself agreeing, gazing at his surroundings. It was actually a bit… _much_ for something advertising itself as a prison. The ladders for example. One wasn't enough to scale the wall outside, sure, but by using some wire to link up several ladders to make one big one, he could theoretically escape rather easily.

"Why are you following me?" Ryohei jumped at the loud yet calm voice, that echoed throughout the building, since it didn't come either him or North. Rather, it came from someone two aisles in front of them.

"Sorry." Another voice laughed. "I swear I was just going towards the telescopes!"

Ryohei walked forward towards the voice and looked down the aisle he was hearing them from. Two people stood there, a male and a female, one sheepishly scratching the back of his head and the other just passively staring at the boy.

North was right behind him and peered around the corner. "Yeah… I figured Isaiah would still be with Kaori…" He sighed.

The male, whom Ryohei assumed to be Isaiah, seemed to be on the heavier side with a large body with shoulders that weren't very wide. His skin was dark, he had a round nose along with large yellow-green eyes. He had been grinning so his dimples were very visible. His curly hair had been dyed both red and orange and his hands seemed large but gentle at the same time. He was wearing a light gray pull-over hoodie with a large yellow cartoon star stitched onto its front. He also had on dark red corduroy pants and black slip-on canvas shoes. Over his eyes were a pair of large black-framed glasses and Ryohei could see a black number "8," tattooed just below his right collarbone.

The female, whose name was most likely Kaori, had black hair that was kept short, barely reaching her shoulders. Ryohei could see some faint freckles along her face, though it was almost unnoticeable. She had round gray eyes, though the rest of her appearance was rather plain with very little makeup. Despite this, she carried a sort of professional air to her, wearing a plain gray jacket and white button-up collared shirt underneath along with a red necktie. She had on a gray skirt that fell a little past her knees and a pair of brown short-heeled boots on her feet. On the bottom half of her left foreleg the number, "12," was tattooed on her pale skin.

Kaori blandly examined the contents of the shelf right behind Isaiah, examining numerous handheld telescopes of various sizes, placed on the shelves. She then glanced behind her at the stacks of chemistry equipment. "I suppose that makes sense," she said. "However, if you permit me to point out, you persisted on following me all the way here!"

Isaiah's sheepish grin grew a little wider. "Uh… well, you seemed smart, that's all! I figured you knew where you were going, Ms. Tachibana!" he blabbed in a deep voice, frantically.

Kaori blinked. "What made you think that I knew where to go?" she pointed out.

"Er… well…"

"You did leave rather quickly after you introduced yourself to us, Kaori," North pointed out, walking up to them, with Ryohei right behind him. "It's only natural someone would be worried about you."

Isaiah looked relieved. "North!" he greeted with a big smile, before noticing Ryohei. "Who's this?"

"He's Ryohei Kazuhara, the Ultimate Prosecutor," North explained, patting Ryohei on the back. "He's the sixteenth guy that Moca had decided to wait for."

Isaiah's mouth dropped. "Oh man, Prosecutor?!" he said excitedly. "That's so cool, man! That's one impressive talent!"

"Oh, it's nothing special…" Ryohei waved a hand as if to wave away Isaiah's praise.

Kaori, on the other hand, looked slightly suspicious. "A prosecutor? I take it that you were a corrupt one or something to that effect?"

Ryohei blinked. "Wha-? No!" he objected indignantly. "I'm no such thing!"

Kaori looked unimpressed. "Well given that we're all imprisoned it is a rather reasonable assumption!"

"Hey, Kaori!" Isaiah got between the two before the argument could escalate. "Come one, don't be mean!"

She frowned. "I am only stating the obvious…"

Isaiah stuck his hand out to Ryohei. "Nice to meetcha, Ryohei! I'm Isaiah Carter the Ultimate Amateur Astronomer!"

**Isaiah Carter: Ultimate Amateur Astronomer**

Ryohei shook his hand but was caught off guard. "Sorry," he said after a moment of hesitation. "Ultimate Amateur…?" The contradiction between the two words bothered him.

Isaiah laughed. "I get that a lot!" he exclaimed. "Basically it means that I work by myself. I'm not underemployment to any bigwig company like NASA or CERN. I make my own observations on stars and our solar system! Like, Like…" He began to grow excited. "Last week, I caught another interstellar object fly into our solar system! I recorded it going right between Jupiter and Saturn and-!"

Ryohei blinked. "I'm sorry," he interrupted. "But I'm not all too sure what you're talking about."

"And interstellar object! I was shaped like-!"

"Ok, Isaiah," North said, also interrupting the boy's long-winded explanation. "I think you're confusing Ryohei… and the rest of us."

"Oh, sorry." Isaiah fell silent, before saying, "So what you mean is that my explanation was… _alien_ to you."

North blinked…. Before he started laughing. "That was a good one!" he exclaimed, as both he and Isaiah doubled down in laughter.

_No,_ Ryohei couldn't help but think. _No, it really wasn't._

Apparently, Kaori agreed with him as she gave the two boys and annoyed look, before focusing back on Ryohei. "I'm Kaori Tachibana, the Ultimate Food Chemist." She bowed her head respectfully. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

**Kaori Tachibana: Ultimate Food Chemist **

"I apologize for insinuating that you could possibly be a crooked part of the justice system," Kaori said. "It's just… given our circumstances, it seemed like a reasonable assumption to make."

"You think that everyone is locked in her for a good reason, then?" Ryohei asked a little testily.

Kaori was quiet for a moment before she closed her eyes. "All the evidence fits," she said a little quietly.

"I don't think so!" Isaiah interrupted. "The MonoID said I created a bunch of shoddy and illegal spacecraft that were used to launch probes into space! It said that I sold them and, when launched, would crash into towns and cities killing people!" He turned towards Ryohei, slightly desperate. "Ryohei, man! You… you don't think I could've done those things, right?!"

Ryohei studied Isaiah's face, before shaking his head. "No," he said simply. "I just know it… you're not that type of guy."

Isaiah beamed, and grabbed Ryohei's hands, clasping them within his own. "You're… You're the best, man!" Tears began to form in the corner of his eyes.

Ryohei recoiled at the sudden burst of emotion. "Y-Yeah," he stammered. "There's no need to cry. I believe that you're innocent." He blinked as the words that he had just said, suddenly registering the meaning behind them. "I… believe you're innocent…" he mumbled to himself.

"Ryohei?" North frowned.

"It's just…" Ryohei started to say. "I had an idea-"

However, whatever he was about to say, was suddenly interrupted by a sudden crackle in the corner of the building. Looking up and to the right, he noticed another camera and another monitor similar to the ones he had seen around the prison. But this one had somehow turned itself on, showing a screen full of static. However soon the static cleared and was replaced by a shadowy figure… though the shape made it pretty obvious who it was.

Ryohei narrowed his eyes. "Is that… Monoline?" he asked.

"Or Monoden," North muttered.

The voice, however, was decidedly neither. "Hello, hello, my prisoners! I do hope you're enjoying your accommodations! I am known as the Ultimate Judge!"

Ryohei's eyes widened. _Ultimate Judge?_

"I understand that some of you are looking for an explanation," the Ultimate Judge exclaimed. "So if you would be willing, please meet me at the entrance of the prison in another 5 minutes. The very _very_ big gate if you want me to be specific." The figure giggled. "There all of your questions may be answered. Maybe." The video went black.

All four of them exchanged a look. "What do we do, Ryohei?" North asked.

"We really have no choice," Ryohei said seriously. "If we don't then we won't get any answers to our questions?"

"I guess you're right," Isaiah said, sounding unconcerned, as he headed towards the exit.

"Well then, no use staying around here," North said, crossing his hands behind his head and following Isaiah. "Let's get going."

"Right." Ryohei was about to follow, but…

"You truly believe we are innocent?"

"Huh?" Ryohei turned to look at Kaori, who was staring at the ground.

She shook her head. "No. Never mind." She walked past Ryohei and followed North and Isaiah out of the building.

Ryohei frowned. He already knew the answer to her question, but he found himself unable to answer. "Even if you believe yourself to be guilty," he muttered to himself. "I can't. Someone has to believe in your innocence."

Everything that had happened the past hour, coalesced into a single idea. They couldn't escape or it would look guilty. The ridiculous crimes that they had been accused of.

And finally… the innocence of everyone here.

Ryohei had an idea.

He eyed the monitor that had once shown the figure of the Ultimate Judge. For now, he would take it one step at a time.

First, he would need to see his opponent face-to-face.

* * *

***Deep breathe***

**AAAHHHHHHH!**

**This took way too long! For that, I sincerely apologize. I really have no good excuse for that. I'm a pretty awful writer in terms of speed and I got pretty stuck on several parts of this chapter. I hope that the next chapter ends up being a little easier to write. I do think it will be since it's just the rules of the killing game and all that. **

**If there's any problem in regards to representing your character, leave it in a review/PM and I'll begin the potential rewrite. I am a little nervous about this chapter especially.**

**Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated.**

**Hopefully, the next chapter comes a lot sooner.**

**Hopefully.**

**Oof.**


	5. A Punished Beginning (Part 3)

Chapter 3- A Punished Beginning: Monokuma

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**Review Replies:**

**TheBloperM: Well given the time it took for me _to_ finish this, I hope the quality is fine, haha.**

**Glass-Lady-Of-The-Opera: Thank you! I'm happy to see that I portrayed Isaiah correctly.**

**Knifez**_**: **_**Glad North was written well! As for who will die, I'm sure that the secret will be revealed eventually. :)**

**Commettail76: Thank you for reviewing and I'm happy that Kaori is written correctly. In regard to those three paragraphs, I may go back after the 1st chapter is complete and maybe edit those down a bit. I have some grievances with them too, but right now I just want to focus on completing the first case.**

**PainX65: Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad to see that you're finding all of the characters interesting.**

* * *

Ryohei was the second to last one to arrive.

All of the other fifteen Ultimates he had met, sans Sho, were already gathered together in a circle around the gate the led to the outside. None of them were actually interacting with each other and there was still some metaphorical and literal distance between them all.

Though… the reason no one was talking was probably that they were staring up at the top of the wall. Specifically, they were staring at two figures.

Ryohei's eyes widened, as he spotted the two bears he had been looking for the entire time. _Monoline and Monoden!_ The two of them were just standing there, milling about, not even glancing down at them.

"Hey," Haruto suddenly said, being the first one to speak since Ryohei got there, as he pointed at the two stuffed bears. "Look. It's Monoline and Monoden." After he received no response, he looked around. "Er… Are we…? Are we going to do anything?"

Kaori gave Haruto a piercing look. "And what do you suggest we do?" she asked icily.

"I mean… I guess we could catch them?"

"There doesn't seem to be a way for us to even get up there, Mr. Sato," Erik explained helpfully. "We wouldn't be able to even get near them much less capture them."

Haruto still looked confused, as he scratched his head with a pencil. "Then what do we do?"

"Simple," Rentarou said, with a shrug. "We wait for them to start talking." He put a finger to his lips as they quirked up into a sly smile. "Patience is a virtue after all."

"We've been waiting for fucking ever," Rin grumbled. "I want some fucking answers-!"

"You fucking bastards!"

Ryohei whirled around just in time Sho run in and throw something straight at Monoline. It sailed through the air like a bullet, towards the center of Monoline's head. The aim was precise, just as Ryohei would expect from the Ultimate Dart Thrower. It would no doubt pierce Monoline.

However, even faster than the dart, Monoline suddenly whipped her baton out and sliced the air, without even glancing in Sho's direction. The dart seemed to stop in midair, losing its momentum, only a few inches away from Monoline. It then fell all the way back to the ground, where it landed uneventfully on the gravel.

"What the…" Sho backed away, clearly not expecting that. "hell?"

That was quick. That reaction time was too quick. Inhuman almost. Ryohei had barely been able to follow the dart with his own two eyes. How had Monoline…?

For the first time, Monoline suddenly looked at the group that had formed underneath her, but specifically glaring at Sho. "Hey!" she snapped, waving her baton at the boy. "You just tried to kill me just now, didn't you?! You're lucky that the rules haven't been established yet or else I would've definitely executed you!" She sniggered. "Though that throw was so bad… Are you seriously calling yourself the Ultimate Dart Thrower?!"

Sho gritted his teeth. "You wanna come down here and say that to my face?!"

"Oh, I don't know…" Monoden suddenly piped up. "I think it was a pretty good throw."

Monoline suddenly whirled around and slammed her baton against Monoden's face, causing him to fall to the ground and cradle his nose in pain. "Shut it, Monoden!" she snapped.

Monoden got up from the ground, still cradling his nose. "I'll shut it," he said a little quietly, backing away from Monoline. She huffed and turned back towards the group.

"Er…" Moca raised a hand since they now had the attention of the two wardens. "Why did you call us here?"

"_We_ did not call you," Monoline said, with a halfhearted shrug. "That was the Ultimate Judge."

"And, _where_ is he?" Ayako asked, loudly. "Bring him out already!"

As if on cue, Ryohei felt the ground underneath him shake. He looked down, just in time to see it shake once more and hear the distinct _thunk_! of metal smashing against each other, just beneath them.

Zeyn looked at the soles of his shoes, before staring down at the ground. "W-what was that?!" he asked little nervously.

Ryohei's ears strained as the noise seemed to grow farther away from him, until stopping entirely near the base of the wall. At the same time, both Monoline and Monoden seemed to perk up.

"Presenting!" Monoline shouted from a megaphone she had seemingly pulled out of nowhere. Her voice was so loud and grating that Ryohei had to cover his ears just so his eardrums didn't blow up. "The presiding ruler of Hope's Peak Prison!"

_Wait, what-?_

"The one who has judged you of all of your sins," Monoden said into his own megaphone.

"Presenting…"

"Presenting…"

A figure emerged from the wall its arms outstretched. He was, much to Ryohei's dismay, a near copy of Monoden and Monoline except his color scheme was black and white and he wasn't wearing any sort of eyepatch. He was a mashup of two halves of the warden's and slightly larger than the both.

"Monokuma, the Ultimate Judge!" they announced together.

A heavy silence fell upon the sixteen of them, until Sho furiously screamed, "What the fuck?! Another one?!"

"I'm Monokuma!" it introduced itself as if it Monoline and Monoden weren't even there. "The presiding ruler of Hope's Peak Prison! The one who has judged you for all of your sins! The Ultimate Judge!"

"You're the Ultimate Judge?" Pauline asked skeptically. "But, you're just another stuffed bear."

Monokuma seemed to grow annoyed by that remark. "I'm not a stuffed bear!" he snapped. "I'm Monokuma!"

"That doesn't really explain anything," Ryohei heard Moca mutter from behind him.

"It doesn't need to explain anything," Monokuma said cheerfully. "It explains all that you need to know for now."

"Um. . ." Zeyn nervously combed his hair with his hand. "So what now?" He glanced at the others for some help, but when no one said anything he swallowed before continuing. "We've been stuck in this prison for a while. Is anyone planning on letting us out?"

"Y-yeah!" Moca exclaimed. "Don't you think that this prank has gone long enough?"

"Prank?" Monokuma repeated. "What makes you think this is a prank?"

"You're kidding me!" Sho growled. "Just let us out already, you bastards!"

Erik politely raised a hand. "If what you're insinuating is correct, then, Mr. Judge…" He seemed to choose his next words very carefully. "We are meant to be locked up in this prison?"

"Monokuma is fine," the bear said. "And to answer your question… That is completely correct."

"Then," Rin said slowly. "How do we leave?"

"You can't at the moment," Monokuma said simply.

Instant yelling from some of the louder teenagers. Ryohei winced and tried to block out the noise, doing his best to decipher the meaning behind the bear's words amid the chaos. The way that Erik had phrased his question was deliberate. If they were meant to be in a prison… then the crime that Ryohei had said to be accused of might've already gone through the typical justice system. He most likely had a lawyer defending him… well if there was a lawyer crazy enough to defend the type of crime he had been saddled with.

"Hey, bear," Rentarou suddenly spoke up, his voice clear above the din of the others. "You said, 'at the moment.' Mind explaining?"

Monokuma laughed. "Oh, I was so _hoping_ someone would catch that!"

Pauline's eyes widened. "So, there is a way to leave?" she asked. "We just have to wait?!"

"No, no!" Monokuma laughed again. "You have to kill."

Everyone fell silent, so much so you could hear a pin drop. "K-kill?" Mirai squeaked out.

"Yes, kill!" Monokuma exclaimed, stretching its arms out. "You have all be accepted to Hope's Peak Prison's killing game! Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!" Monoline said, clapping.

"Congratulations!" Monoden said, clapping.

"Oi, you two," Monokuma said, giving the two wardens a glare. "Tone it down will ya? We're not trying to become the parody channel over here."

"Urk…" Monoden winced. "S-sorry…"

"Parody?" Monoline wondered aloud, clearly not understanding the joke.

"Killing game?" Isaiah nervously said. "Is that like some sort of video game? I don't play many games like that…"

Monokuma giggled, ominously. "Phuhuhhuhuhuhu…"

Ayako narrowed her eyes. "What's so funny?" she demanded to know.

"I'm surprised you all don't know," Monoline said, tapping her foot impatiently. "Isn't the idea of a killing game self-explanatory?"

North paled. "I-I'm sure it is," he stammered out. "But this…" He swallowed. "This is all some sort of metaphor for something. It's gotta be."

"Occam's Razor, my dear inmate!" Monokuma said. "A killing game is a killing game! A game where the participants kill each other for the amusement of others!"

Ryohei's mouth went dry. "What?" he managed to croak out. "Us? In a killing game?"

Pauline recoiled as though she had been slapped. "Why-Why would we ever want to participate in a killing game?" she cried. "Who would even find the thought of something fun to watch?!"

"No…" Nafia whispered, backing away. "I… don't…"

"Can I perchance call my father?" Zeyn asked. "I-I'm sure he would have something to say about this…"

"Of course, you can!" Monokuma exclaimed, cheerfully. "Use any of the phones around the prison!"

A pause from Zeyn. "Er… I didn't… find any… phones…" He gulped.

"I'm sure most of you understand," Monokuma said. "You're prisoners, here. The dirt of society who committed heinous acts. We would never allow you to leave, lest the audience that is watching demand their tax money be returned!"

Ruby frowned. "Audience?" she asked almost hesitatingly, afraid of the answer.

"Killing games make excellent television!" Monokuma explained, without a shred of sympathy. "Though killing morally good people leave a bad taste in the executive's mouths! So instead we choose the villains of society. Murderers, rapists, thieves, assassins, and even some insane freaks! They all deserve to feel the despair of a killing game! Who could argue against such a premise of television!"

"B-But we didn't _do _anything!" Moca cried.

"Not any of my business!" Monokuma brushed aside. "You were all already convicted, and this is your sentence. But don't worry." His red eye seemed to gleam with sadism. "I'll allow _one_ of you to leave."

"Y-you will?" Mirai asked, a little hopeful.

"There's a catch, isn't there?" Rentarou deduced. For his part, Ryohei noticed that the Ultimate Private Eye seemed to be taking the news in stride.

"No catch!" Monokuma said cheerfully. "It wouldn't be much of a killing game after all if there wasn't a motive for all of you to kill for! Kill someone, get away with its scot-free, and I'll allow the killer to go free!"

"That's it?" Sho eyed the closest person to him, Mirai. She backed away from him. He grunted and turned back towards the bear. "Whaddya mean by 'scot-free?'"

"I'm glad you asked," Monokuma said. "You see, in this prison the killing game is a refined, sophisticated experience, made only for the most refined palettes."

"A… killing game," Kaori said flatly.

"I… don't think that makes sense, Mr. Kuma," Haruto said.

Monokuma continued on with his speech, ignoring Kaori and Haruto. "You see, if one of you sinners actually manage to somehow kill, you all are gonna take part in a class trial!" It gestured towards Monoline. "Please continue to explain my wonderful wardens!"

"Of course, sir!" Monoline saluted. "To continue the Judge's explanation, a class trial is an environment where all of you will deduce who the killer, or otherwise known as the blackened, is! During this time, it will be a battle of wits against the blackened and innocent! A stellar debate to either truth or to a lie!"

"A-At the end of the class trial," Monoden continued, looking apprehensive. "Is a process known as Voting Time. During this time period, you will have to decide on who the blackened is and vote for them. If the majority chooses correctly, then the blackened is killed in a spectacular punishment! However the innocent will continue to have to live within the prison."

"But if you're wrong…" Monoline said, her single eye gleaming with sadism. "Then the innocent will receive the punishment instead and the blackened will be allowed to leave the prison with all of their crimes forgiven!"

"Class… trial…" Ryohei whispered to himself.

"Those are the main rules of the class trial," Monoden said. "If you don't remember them, please check the Rules section of your MonoID. There, along with some basic sanitary rules for the prison, is where you will find the rules for class trials."

A ruffling of clothes, as everyone pulled their MonoID from wherever they had been keeping them. Ryohei found that the previous Rules application on it was now unlocked. He tapped it, finding a whole list of rules.

**1\. Prisoners are asked to remain within the boundaries of the prison for their own safety and for the enjoyment of the audience.**

**2\. Prisoners have free rein to explore the prison as they see fit.**

**3\. Nighttime within the prison occurs between the times of 10 PM and 7 AM. Some areas may be closed during this time so please exercise caution.**

**4\. All acts of violence towards Monokuma, Monoline or Monoden are strictly prohibited.**

**5\. Monokuma, Monoline, and Monoden will never directly participate in a murder.**

**6\. A blackened may only kill up to two other prisoners.**

**7\. If two different murders by two different murderers occur at the same time, then the one whose victim was found first will be considered the blackened.**

**8\. A body discovery announcement will play when three or more students discover a body.**

**9\. When a murder is committed in the prison, a class trial will be conducted. Participation in this trial is mandatory for all surviving prisoners.**

**10\. If the killer (herein after referred to as "the blackened") is correctly identified during the class trial, only the blackened will be punished for their crime.**

**11\. If the blackened cannot be identified, or if an incorrect prisoner is identified as the blackened, all prisoners except the blackened will be punished for the crime.**

**12\. If the blackened survives the class trial, they are declared the winner. At which point, they will be released from Hope's Peak Prison will all their crimes forgiven.**

**13\. If the innocent prisoners continue to survive class trials, the killing game will continue until no students remain.**

**14\. The warden may add additional rules to the list at any time.**

Ryohei blinked. This was a lot of information to take in all at once.

"Um…" Nafia, surprisingly, spoke up in a quiet. "Punishment… what…. what… is that?"

"Punishment in this case…" Monokuma seemed to snicker. "refers to _execution_."

Pauline blanched. "An execution? Like with a guillotine? Death?!"

Monokuma nodded. "Well, of course," it said. "A killer must be punished in the proper ways. You maggots have already committed so many sins that committing another one in this setting means you're not rehabilitating properly. At that point…" It shrugged helplessly. "What else can we do but end your miserable lives in the most _permanent_ way possible?"

Everyone seemed to recoil from that statement, except Ryohei. His mind was working as he began to analyze Monokuma's words, a small plan forming in his head.

"This is crazy!" Moca snapped. "Listen, if this is just a prank, then it's gone way too far!"

"I don't get it," Isaiah said. "What's the purpose of this?!"

Monokuma once again ignored all of them. "So, do you understand your place within this game. You're nothing more than entertainment for the millions of people watching to see you criminals get your due punishment."

"N-No one would watch a killing game!" North cried. "That's messed up!"

"Too bad!" Monoline snickered. "We're, like, the number one most popular show on television right now!"

"Our families wouldn't have allowed this!" Ruby growled.

"Y-yeah!" Zeyn agreed. "Just let me contact my father, he'll tell you this was some sort of mistake."

"Oh… um… sorry." Monoden bowed his head. "We don't allow phone calls to the outside except in very special circumstances!"

"Then make this one of those times!" Sho said, threateningly taking a step forward.

"What will you prisoners not understand…" Monokuma sadly shook its head. "You're trapped here because of your crimes and there isn't any way for any of you to leave-!"

"**No, that's wrong!"**

Everyone turned to see Ryohei pointing a finger directly at Monokuma's face. "That's wrong," he repeated. "Monokuma you said that we are all locked up here because we've already been tried in a typical court system. But none of us ever remember being tried much less than doing anything wrong."

"That isn't my problem." Monokuma slipped a finger into its ear and rummaging around for… something and then flicking it away.

Ryohei took a deep breath, trying to keep his patience. "I want to make a deal."

Monokuma perked up. "Hm?"

"I want a retrial. A retrial for everyone here. I don't think that anyone actually did anything wrong. Either there's been a mistake or someone's trying to frame us." Ryohei narrowed his eyes. "I'm not accusing anyone at the moment, but the suspect is pretty clear."

"That's great and all…" Monoline sounded bored. "But who's suicidal enough to defend guilty criminal who've already lost once?"

"I will," Ryohei said firmly. "I'll be their lawyer."

Monoline started to laugh. "Um…" Monoden nervously looked between his sister and Ryohei. "You're the Ultimate Prosecutor though. You're not the Ultimate Lawyer. Are you going against your own talent? You will also be defending yourself, you know?"

"I'm fine with that," Ryohei answered. "But…" He glanced at the others, taking into account their stunned and confused faces, before turning back towards Monokume. "I believe them. I don't think anyone here could do anything so bad that it would warrant this type of radical system of justice."

Monoline snorted. "Yeah, right. As if the Ultimate Judge is just going to let you-!"

"Alright." Monokuma nodded. "I accept this deal."

Monoline nearly fell over. "W-What?!" she cried. "B-But, sir! You're not even getting anything out of this if you fail!"

"Even so, I find it rather interesting!" Monokuma's eye gleamed. "Just to clarify though, if you fail to convince the jury of everyone's innocence then I'll execute you. If anyone else is once again proven guilty then I'll also execute them."

Ryohei blinked. "You're saying that whoever I prove innocent will be allowed to go free regardless of the end result of the trial?"

"Exactly," Monokuma nodded. "Though your life will be most at risk." The bear giggled. "Just to make the stakes a little higher!"

"I accept." It was a deal that favored him in the end. All he would have to do is prove the others innocent of their crimes. Ryohei could at least do that.

Monokuma seemed excited while Monoden and Monoline looked confused. "Alrighty then!" the plush bear exclaimed. "I will give you three days not including today, but you are not allowed to leave the prison! On the morning of the fourth day, everyone must gather here and then I will bring a bus to take you to a nearby city!" Another giggle. "Upupupu… But if someone kills in that timeframe then the killing game will commence, and the deal will be off."

"That's fine." Ryohei grinned. "There's no way anyone here will do that. I believe in them."

Monokuma looked surprised. "What a strange sentence…" the bear mused. "In that case, I look forward to seeing what you will come up with Ryohei Kazuhara, Ultimate… well, I suppose you're not an Ultimate anymore." With that Monokuma tapped the wall he had been standing on with his right foot. A panel shifted underneath him and he disappeared back into the wall.

"W-wait!" Monoline and Monoden cried, disappearing into the wall themselves.

Ryohei let out a sigh of relief, a hand over his heart. Had it been tense? Or had it been too easy? He had no way of knowing for sure. Monokuma had thrown Ryohei completely for a loop. When Monoline and Monoden had mentioned him, Ryohei had pictured a towering authority figure with a low, commanding voice. He had not been expecting another plush with a similar sadistic personality. Still despite his figure Monokuma still exuded an air of despair and fear. Ryohei had almost given up on his idea for a second, but luckily, he managed to swallow his fear.

"Ryohei…" Ryohei turned around to see that everyone was staring at him with a mix of fear, apprehension, annoyance, and confusion plastered across most of their faces.

It had been North who had spoken. "Were you being serious back there?" The Ultimate Juggler asked. "About… defending us?"

"I was," Ryohei confirmed.

"But isn't that dangerous?" Kaori asked. "If you fail to prove even one of us innocent then you'll also be punished."

"Don't act like everyone's lives aren't at stake," Ryohei said with a shake of his head, as everyone suddenly looked uncomfortable. "If you guys don't trust me, then you can tell Monokuma to call it off. I don't want to force anyone into something they may not want to do."

"But…" Nafia piped up suddenly. "You're… a prosecutor… yes?"

"She's right," Ayako scowled. "You're supposed to be the guy calling us _guilty_."

"That's…" Ryohei's eyes fell to the ground and he sighed. "I never liked being a prosecutor." He turned his attention towards Sho. "I don't know how many innocent people I put behind bars, Sho. It could be everyone I prosecuted, or it could be no one. I really couldn't tell you. But, if I stood here telling myself that everyone here was guilty, then I don't feel as though I could forgive myself."

"Tch." Sho looked away from Ryohei with a rather annoyed expression.

"Ah." A smile played on Rentarou's lips. "So, this is… what? A selfish and forced character growth moment for you, that you're trying to frame to atone for your past misdeeds?" Ryohei winced and Rentarou's smile only grew wider. "Hit the nail in the head, did I?"

"Rentarou!" Moca scolded. "Ryohei just said he wanted to help us! Don't discourage him!"

Rentarou ignored Moca, his attention squarely focused on Ryohei. "You're the Ultimate Prosecutor. That's your talent. Is that something you can just… throw away."

"In service of what I want and choose to do?" Ryohei asked. "There really is no other answer."

Everyone exchanged an uneasy look before Ruby suddenly piped up. "It's getting late, everyone," she said pointing towards the wall. The sun was disappearing behind it, casting a long dark shadow onto them.

Haruto yawned. "Yeah… I'm getting tired." His stomach rumbled. "And hungry."

"There's some food within the kitchen," Mirai offered.

"That sounds great!" Isaiah exclaimed. "With some food and rest in our bodies, I'm sure that we'll think clearly on what to do tomorrow." He nudged Ryohei. "That includes you, buddy!"

"Oh, no, I'm fine," Ryohei said politely. "I should get back to my room and come up with a plan for the trial-!"

"As if!" Moca snapped her hand on her hips. "You're going to have the hardest job out of all of us! The best the rest of us could do is try and help you out in our own ways!" She glanced at the others. "Isn't that right?"

"Naturally!" Pauline beamed and grabbed Ryohei's arm and hugged it close to her chest, making Ryohei flush. "If you need anything my dear Ryohei just feel free to ask! There isn't anything I wouldn't do to help!"

"H-Hey!" North said, trying to separate the two. "I don't think Moca meant that kind of help, Pauline!"

A lively air emerged from the cast as they made their way towards the dining hall and kitchen. One that felt rather enjoyable and peaceful. A group of friends going out for lunch together.

Xxx

Ryohei collapsed onto his bed after dinner, his stomach almost full to bursting. The food that Mirai all had managed to whip up had been great. It was true home-cooking, something he had felt his mother would make had she still been alive.

The thought about his mother suddenly sobered him up and he raised his right hand to the ceiling, staring at the number tattooed on the back of it. He had entered a dangerous game and if he failed, his life was forfeit. The lives of the people he had just met also hung in the balance and in a normal situation that might make him freeze up. However, he could only feel determination welling up inside of him.

Ryohei had taken a step towards what he wanted to do. While the stakes may have been great, he was _certain_ he could do it. He barely had any doubt in his mind. His gut feeling told him that this was the right thing to do.

He clenched his right hand, still staring at the number. "Don't worry," he whispered. "Don't worry about me, Mo-"

Static.

**Prologue End.**

**Survivors: 16**

Xxx

_Preview for the Next Arc:_

"_I'm going to be interviewing everyone separately," Ryohei explained to the others. "If I'm going to build a good case for each of you then we need to discuss everything and anything that may help."_

…

"_Call it a motive or call it generosity!" Monoline exclaimed. "This is just a basic right that all prisoners get!"_

…

"_Cheers!" Glasses filled with fruit punch clinked together._

…

"_No… How… Why would someone do this? I thought… We were almost out of here…"_

…

"_Now that all the secrets have been bared for everyone to see… shall we continue this class trial?"_

…

"_Don't you dare… DON'T YOU DARE LIE TO ME!" They screamed at a passive Monokuma sitting upon his golden throne._

…

…

"_Please… Please just don't leave me…"_

…

_Next Time! Chapter 1: The Sinful Art of Hope!_

Xxx

**Oof.**

**That took a rather long time. I do have to apologize. My interest in writing waned during these past two months and it didn't that I was rather busy. I got a new laptop, friends, and family were constantly coming over for the holiday season and I had finals for my classes which I kinda took as a priority. That's not to say that I wasn't writing, but most of the time I was just writing for something else. I had been playing around with the idea of doing something more original for a while now (though I say a while the idea's been in my head for more than two years.) and I tried writing that for a bit. I haven't written much of it. But it's still something that took my attention for a while.**

**It was only this late December and early January that I got my head back in the game and finished this chapter. I can't say if I'm super happy with it, but I do think the latter half I wrote is more interesting and a lot better.**

**The waiting period for your guys is also why I wrote in a small preview for the first chapter of the story. I just thought it would be interesting and fun to write (which it was).**

**Err… As usual reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated. Unfortunately, there will probably be another long wait time for the next chapter as I finish writing the notes to the first case.**

**In other news, Glass-Lady-Of-The-Opera drew the cast of Danganronpa: Execution Order. The link is at the bottom of my profile and please go check it out!**


	6. The Sinful Art of Hope (Part 1)

Chapter 4: The Sinful Art of Hope- Interrogation

* * *

"I'm going to be interviewing everyone separately," Ryohei explained to the others, the next morning during breakfast. "If I'm going to build a good case for each of you then we need to discuss everything and anything that may help."

Ryohei had had a dreamless night and he had found himself waking up rather early in the morning at around 6 AM. Only a few of the others were around, namely, Mirai doing some cooking within the kitchen and Rentarou sipping some coffee in the lounge above the dining hall.

Instead of sitting down and waiting for everyone else to come, Ryohei busied himself with some tasks. First, he decided that he wanted a secure place to keep his evidence, just in case Monokuma or the two wardens decided to try and sabotage him. He didn't want to take the chance. Luckily, sequestered within a small corner in the storage room, he had found a safe with a single-dial padlock. Probably playing it as carefully as he possibly could, Ryohei devised a simple way to open the safe with the padlock. A way that only he could figure out.

From the storage room, Ryohei also grabbed a notepad and some pens. Using the information from his MonoID, he jotted down the information on the rest of his fellow prisoners. Each page, Ryohei had decided, would be for each of his defendants. All he needed was enough room to write all the information he might need.

After he had stored the safe and his other items within his room, Ryohei searched the entire prison for a good place to hide from the cameras that dotted the premises. In the end, he found himself within the library and inside the small room that he had seen Ayako in before. It was a closet-like room called the Archival Room, with shelves and shelves of old newspapers and magazines. It would be helpful for his later research for sure, but for now, it provided the perfect room to escape the gaze of the cameras.

By the time that Ryohei returned to the dining hall, it was now packed with the fifteen defendants. Most of them were talking to each other in a low voice that quickly fell silent the moment that Ryohei walked in.

He cleared his throat and expressed his plan for gathering the information he needed.

"An interview," Sho drawled. "Don't you mean interrogation, Mr. Prosecutor?"

Ryohei winced. "I can't help you if you don't let me," he pointed out.

Sho scoffed and looked away, just as North raised his hand. "How are you going about this?" he asked. "Monokuma already said you couldn't leave the prison. You're stuck here with no way to get any new evidence."

"That's why it's important that I talk to all of you," Ryohei said firmly. "I need to understand each situation before I can adequately defend it. What each of you was accused of, your life stories, your personality, and etc. Other than basic law, that's all I will have in my arsenal."

Kaori gave him an incredulous look. "That's all you're going to use when defending us."

"I promise you…" Ryohei straightened his back a little. "That is all I will need."

A couple of them seemed to have reservations, but North stood up. "In that case, how are we going to go about this?" he asked Ryohei.

Ryohei's relief was obvious. "I can do six today, then five tomorrow and the final four on the final day." He shook his head. "It'll be cutting it close, but if my plan works, then we'll all be out of here soon enough."

Haruto beamed. "Wow, you're incredible Shark Grin."

"Um… that's not my name-!"

"Alright!" Isaiah cheered. "Hear that!" He said, directing his question to a nearby camera. "We're going to prove to everyone out there that we're innocent thanks to Ryohei! You all better keep watching if you want to see what happens next!"

Everyone stared at the Amateur Astronomer. "Um… idiot, what exactly are you doing?" Ayako asked.

"Well, Monokuma said that we're being filmed to an audience right now, right?" Isaiah pointed out. "It's kinda like of a reality tv show where we are the contestants."

"Oh," Sho said bitterly, glaring at the nearby camera. "I forgot about that."

"But if they can see everything," Pauline wondered aloud. "Then how are you going to keep everything secret, Ryohei?"

"I've thought of that too," Ryohei explained. "There's a small room within the library called the archival room. It doesn't have any cameras inside and is big enough to fit two people, a couple of chairs and a desk. It could serve as a makeshift office for me."

Erik blinked. "You've certainly thought about this Mr. Kazuhara," he said. "Have you given to any thought who you'll interview first."

"I'm going in order of everyone's number," Ryohei said, his gaze pointed towards Prisoner 1: Nafia Onyilogwu. Everyone else turned towards the distant girl, who stared back at Ryohei with a wordless stare.

Ryohei let out a deep breath. "Alright," he finally said, after a few moments of silence. "Let's begin."

Xxx

Ryohei sat down on a foldable plastic chair, sitting across from Naifa who was atop another similar chair. The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments, before Ryohei finally cleared. "Your name, to clarify, is Nafia Onyilogwu, and you're the Ultimate Traditional Healer, correct?"

A nod.

"Age: 15. Known as the Ultimate Traditional Healer." Ryohei glanced up after reading Nafia's stats which he had copied from the _Profiles_ tab in the MonoID. "Correct?"

Another nod, but she continued to stay silent.

Ryohei squirmed in his seat before he let out a sigh. He supposed he would have to act as both a lawyer and a therapist in this situation. He had no experience in the latter, but to survive he would just have to try his best. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.

Nafia seemed slightly surprised. "Y-Yes…" she said a little quietly. "I am… alright. I… do not... sick in any way."

"I meant if you were mentally alright," Ryohei said. "A lot happened yesterday."

She hesitated. "Y-Yes…" she agreed. "I'm alright. I… don't intend… to do something… as terrible… as killing." She shuddered. Before giving Ryohei a cautious look. "Do you?"

He blinked and rapidly shook his head. "No, of course not!" he said a little quickly. "But if I can defend you then you won't have to participate in the killing game! You don't think you did anything wrong, do you?"

Nafia copied Ryohei in shaking her head. "N-no!" she insisted. "This punishment… I do not deserve it!"

"I agree," Ryohei said simply, happy to see that she was talking to him at least. He picked up his pen. "Now can you tell me your crime?"

Nafia repeated her crime to Ryohei, which he jotted down, but he found himself skeptical. "I'm sorry," he said with a shake of his head after Nafia had finished recounting her crimes. "Magic?"

"Yes," she said a little proudly and more enthusiastically, straightening herself. "I have been… training most of my life to master it."

Ryohei hesitated. "Um… Nafia," he said uncertainly, uncertain of how to perfectly broach the topic. "Magic… it's not real."

Nafia, all of sudden, seemed to become angry, and expression that Ryohei hadn't ever seen the girl make, so it was somewhat startling. "It is real. I-I have been practicing it all of my life!"

Ryohei may have been taken aback by the anger directed at him but leaned a little closer. "I understand that it is your belief," he said in a more hushed tone. "But to the general populace, magic is just something from fantasy literature. Given your crime, we can convince the jury that the charges are false given the general idea that magic doesn't exist-!"

"No!" Nafia denied, her voice rising. "You're just a… a non-believer then!" She looked hurt and disappointed, something that made Ryohei feel as though he was acting like a villain in her eyes.

"Fine," he sighed. "I won't do that. Do you think you could describe some of the magic you can perform?"

It took a second, but Nafia nodded and launched into a small explanation of what she practiced. Descriptions of different rituals, prayers, and techniques were explained in great detail to Ryohei, though most of it went over his head. He was no expert in this type of subject, but there was a similarity between most of the things that Nafia described that caught his attention.

"So," he said, interrupting the girl. "Most of these, are they medicinal based?"

Nafia nodded silently.

Ryohei hummed to himself. "So, it's not like you know any dark magic or something similar?"

She frowned. "Dark… magic?" She shook her head. "No… I do not know… what you mean… exactly."

Ryohei nodded, feeling as though Nafia was telling the truth. If anything, he could always cross-reference the information she had given him everything found in the library. There had to be some books on her culture that he could read up on in order to understand and relate to her better. "Thanks, Nafia," he said, studying what he had written so far. It wasn't much but at the very least it was a lead and something he could work with.

He heard a little sigh and looked up to see Nafia looking hesitant. She was playing with a small handmade doll, halfheartedly. "Er…" Ryohei said as she glanced up at him. "Is there something else you want to tell me?"

"Are you really… are you really going to prove us… innocent?" she mumbled, barely enough for Ryohei to hear her.

"T-That's the plan," Ryohei replied, almost faltering.

"Oh," Nafia muttered. "I'll… make sure to pray then… so that you succeed." She stood up and bowed her head. "T-thank… you…" She wandered out of the room, almost looking like she was gliding across the floor.

Ryohei watched her go, before leaning back in his seat. "Don't have enough faith in me, huh?" he muttered to himself, with a downtrodden expression.

**Ryohei and Nafia Support Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

The next one up was Mirai Watanabe. The Ultimate Babysitter.

Ryohei started the conversation much as he had with Nafia. "Mirai Watanabe?" he asked. "Is that correct?"

Mirai seemed a little surprised. "Yes?" she said a little nervously.

"Age: 17. Title: Ultimate Babysitter." Ryohei glanced up at her from his notes. "Right?"

"Yes," she repeated. "Um… What is this all about? I thought we were going to talk about my crime."

Ryohei blinked, before bowing his head. "Sorry," he said. "I thought it would make me seem more professional. Usually, when doing this job, you're expected to be professional. I guess I just was thinking that I should keep that professionalism even in this situation."

"Oh." Mirai nodded., not meeting his eyes "I guess that makes sense."

Ryohei frowned, remembering the time he had first met her with North. "Um…" he said, trying to sound a little gentler. "I need to know what you were arrested for."

After a small moment of hesitation, Mirai explained her crime. Ryohei's eyes seemed to widen. "And do you think you would so something like this?" he asked seriously. "For any sort of reason, you could think of?"

"No!" Mirai quickly denied. "Of course, I wouldn't do that. That thought of it disgusts me!"

Ryohei nodded. "Don't worry, I believe you," he assured her. "Can I just ask… do you feel nervous around me?"

Mirai winced and looked down at her hands. "Oh… I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's just that… well, something happened with him that I…" She laughed nervously and looked to the side, doing everything she could so that she didn't look directly at Ryohei. "I just tend to be nervous around boys. That's all. You didn't- none of you, that is, did anything wrong. It's just my own reservations."

"Do you not trust me?" Ryohei asked.

Mirai's hesitation said it all.

Ryohei leaned back into his chair. "Your talent," he said, changing the subject. "How did you become the Ultimate Babysitter?"

She smiled a little sadly. "I have three younger siblings," she explained. "Our parents are often working and I, as the oldest, was the one who took care of them. I was basically flying blind during most of my childhood and early teenage years. And then…" She hesitated, twiddling her thumbs. "Well, I needed some money, so I started a solo business around babysitting. I got a little famous after a few of my clients…" She chuckled as if remembering a humorous memory. "And then Hope's Peak Academy scouted me for the title."

Ryohei nodded. Her backstory was a little like his if he had to be honest. There were many different ways to get labeled as an Ultimate, but the more common way was to get scouted by Hope's Peak Academy and invited to the school.

"You mentioned clients," Ryohei said, putting the tip of his pen to the paper. "Do you mind talking about them?" Seeing Mirai's apprehensive look, he added, "It's for the case I'm going to make for you. If we can convince the jury of your humanity and kindness when taking care of children, then we have a better chance of convincing them you're innocent."

Mirai nodded, a little slowly. "Alright…" She then launched in a short story, about her babysitting a politician's youngest son, who had been a troublemaker and enjoyed pranking his babysitters by dropping bugs all over them…

**Ryohei and Mirai Support Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

"Ryohei, man!" Zeyn grinned as he lazily plopped onto the seat, where Mirai had been only a few moments before. "How you've been?"

Ryohei raised a brow. "I'm fine, I suppose," he supplied. "I mean about as fine as you can be stuck in some high-end prison."

"Cool, cool," Zeyn said with a rapid nodding of his head. "So…" He looked at the small cramped room. "How does this work?"

"I ask you questions, and you answer them," Ryohei answered. "That's… well… the idea of any interrogation."

"Then why am I asking all of the questions?" Zeyn asked with a frown.

Ryohei took a deep breath to calm himself. "You're right," he said smoothly, glancing at his MonoID for Zeyn's stats. "Zeyn Zafrani," he read. "Age is 17 years old. The Ultimate Jetsetter." He glanced at Zeyn. "Is that right?"

Zeyn shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

"Your crime?"

The Ultimate Jetsetter rolled his eyes. "It's pretty stupid," he said before he finally explained what he had been accused of.

Ryohei frowned. Even he had to admit that was rather insane. The ability for a high schooler to do such a thing was near impossible. Such Zeyn was an Ultimate and the Ultimate Jetsetter no less, but it was completely crazy. "Well," Ryohei said aloud. "I suppose it wouldn't be that hard to defend in court" All Ryohei would have to do is look at a history book. Even a high school textbook would be enough.

Zeyn seemed to brighten. "You serious?" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes," Ryohei said slowly. "But I'm still going to need your help."

He seemed to slump back into his seat. "Oh," Zeyn murmured. "Um… Do you really need it?"

Ryohei raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" he said. "It's your own life at stake here."

"Come on, Ryohei…" Zeyn said with half a shrug. "All this talk is way over my head. I'm not the prosecutor here, you are." He stood up and placed a hand on Ryohei's shoulder, giving him a lax smile. "You got this man, I believe in you. We all do." He turned his back to Ryohei and began to head towards the door.

"Thanks for that," Ryohei said a little bitterly. "But I still wanted to ask some more questions-!"

Zeyn waved his hand. "I'll be in my room, just knock on my door."

"I don't have a lot of time to build your case-!"

"Don't worry, Ryohei, you got this." Zeyn flashed him a lazy thumbs up as he walked through the door. "You're going to knock the judge dead at the trial!"

"That's not how it works-!"

Zeyn slammed the door shut as Ryohei watched in complete disbelief. "Well that was a failure," he muttered, glancing down at the pitiful number of notes he had written down for Zeyn. After some contemplation, he wrote down some aspects of Zeyn's personality. "You'd think with his own life at stake, he would get off his high horse…" Ryohei muttered, before leaning back and waiting for Ayako to enter the room.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Ryohei realized that Zeyn probably hadn't bothered telling Ayako to come here. With a sigh, he got up from his chair and went to locate her.

**Ryohei and Zeyn Support Rank C… Achieved?**

Xxx

"Ayako Hamasaki," Ryohei said, glancing at his notepad. "You're the Ultimate Footballer. Age 16."

"That's right," Ayako gruffly said with a nod.

"So, what do they think you did?" Ryohei asked curiously.

Ayako just shrugged and explained what she knew to Ryohei. "I mean, I never did it," she insisted. "But it's not uncommon for teams that I play against to accuse me of cheating."

Ryohei blinked. "It isn't?"

Ayako nodded. "Everyone's gotta be a sore loser in the end," she said rolling her eyes. "I didn't let it bother me."

"That's good," Ryohei replied, jotting down that small bit of information down. "We could make an argument based around that. Perhaps point out that you've never done such a thing beforehand and it merits more investigation whether or not you were framed."

Ayako just nodded, clearly only half paying attention. "Yeah…" she said slowly. "So do you have a plan to defend yourself?"

Ryohei blinked and looked up from his notes. "Hm?" He only made a sound, the question had surprised him.

Ayako narrowed her eyes at him. "You've got to have a plan for our own defense, right?" she asked.

He hesitated. "I… haven't actually done any thinking about it."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "You're planning on winging the entire thing, then?"

"No," Ryohei said, trying to downplay his frustration. "I just haven't had the time to really think about what I plan to do. I'm prioritizing everyone else's case first."

"Can't really relate, honestly."

Ryohei frowned and studied the Ultimate Footballer's face. Her posture was relaxed and she betrayed no emotions, remaining to look disinterested, as she turned her head, to direct her gaze towards a blank wall. "Why is that?"

She scowled. "You really believe that any of these people will actually appreciate what you're doing for them?"

"That…" Ryohei was hesitant to answer. "That doesn't really matter to me. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. Not for any kind of gratification."

"Zeyn wasn't with you that long," Ayako noted.

Ryohei frowned, finding himself unable to come up with an argument.

Ayako sighed. "Listen, I don't think you actually killed anyone as your crime suggests," she said, as Ryohei's eyes widened in surprise, though his appreciation was quickly squashed with her next words. "You're too nice and trusting to ever do something like that. You're just not the type."

"Jeez, thanks," Ryohei grumbled.

"But I don't trust you myself. And you shouldn't trust me," Ayako continued. "You can kill me. I can kill you. Anyone here is capable of murder. Just because you're trying to protect the lot of us, don't be surprised when a dead body turns up on your doorstep." She sat up from the chair. "Are we done here, then?" she asked, blandly.

Ryohei gritted his teeth. "That won't happen. I won't let it."

"I suppose we are then," she said, in the same disinterested tone, pushing her chair in and walking out of the room. Ryohei was left there, staring at the seat, feeling a strange sense of defeat.

**Ryohei and Ayako Rank C Support Achieved!**

Xxx

Rin's eyes darted around the room as if expecting something to jump out of the walls and attack her. After a couple of seconds of silence, Ryohei ended up clearing his throat to draw her attention back to him. "Y-Yeah?" she snapped. "What do you want?"

Ryohei frowned. "Um… Are you okay?"

Rin's gripped the strap of her bag tighter. "What?" she asked, sharply. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"You look nervous," Ryohei pointed out.

"Fuck off, I'm fine," she snapped.

Ryohei sighed. "Fine," he said, glancing at the notes he had written for her. "Known as the Ultimate Hunter. Age is 17, right?"

Rin just nodded.

"So," Ryohei said, choosing his words carefully, having a good feeling that if he said something wrong it would set Rin off. "What were you accused of?"

"Why should I tell you?" she asked pointedly.

Ouch.

"Because I'm trying to defend you," Ryohei pointed out impatiently. What was with her? He was trying to get her out of here at risk to his own life. Why was she so aggressive towards him? "I need that information to even get started on the case I'm going to make for you."

She huffed. "I can defend myself," she said, though unable to hide the slight wobble in her voice.

"No, you can't," Ryohei replied patiently.

"You won't want to defend me after you find out," Rin tried to accuse him.

Ryohei's clenched his teeth. "My life is on the line here too. Just try to work with me here." He sighed. "_Please._"

Rin gritted her own teeth. "I don't care," she said turning her head.

"Please," he repeated. "I refuse to die here. My sister is waiting for me. She's…" He faltered. "She's the only family I have." He looked down at the floor, avoiding looking at Rin directly in the face. "If I die, then she's all alone."

He looked up to see that Rin was suddenly looking a little more sympathetic. She twiddled her thumbs before sighing. "Fine," she said begrudgingly, explaining her situation for Ryohei.

Ryohei blinked. "That's…" he said a little slowly. "That's just insane. You never actually-!"

"No," Rin growled. "No fucking way would I ever do all of that."

Ryohei nodded. "Yeah, of course…" He glanced down at his notes. He was making some progress. "Anything else you think may help in your defense?"

Rin took a second to think. "…My family," she finally said. "My dad would believe me and my dog would've been with me if had actually done such a thing."

"Your dog?"

Rin nodded and shifted awkwardly in her seat. "His name is Mamoru," she explained. "Um…I got him as a hunting partner after my friend of the same name … well he died in an avalanche when I was younger."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ryohei said sympathetically.

"Shut the fuck up," Rin grumbled, unable to meet Ryohei's eyes. Ryohei studied her face for a few moments before closing his notepad.

"I think we're done," he said, though he was somewhat unsatisfied with the amount of information he had gathered from Rin. But he had a sneaking suspicion that pushing her anymore would probably just get her to close up her feelings once again. "Can you get Haruto for me?"

"S-sure." Rin got up from her seat and turned her back on Ryohei. "Thanks."

Ryohei stared. "Sorry?" he asked, thinking he had misheard.

"I didn't say anything, fuckface!" Rin snapped, before swiftly walking out of the room, leaving Ryohei by himself.

**Ryohei and Rin Rank C Support Achieved! **

Xxx

"Shark Grin!" Haruto cheerfully greeted, walking into the small cramped room. He then squinted in the dim light, studying Ryohei's features, before nodding again. "Yep, you're Shark Grin!" he confirmed to himself.

"Er… Haruto," Ryohei said a little slowly. "My name's…" He sighed. "Never mind, it doesn't mind." Haruto gave him a look of confusion. "So…" he said continuing with the routine he had gotten used to. "You're known as the Ultimate Caricaturist. Your age is 17. Is that correct?"

Haruto tilted his head. "I think so?" he replied uncertainly.

Ryohei nodded. "Good enough. Now…" He put the tip of his pen against the paper. "What was your crime?"

Haruto seemed to hesitate. "I swear I'm not crazy," he emphasized, before launching into a full explanation of his crime. He continuously talked for a full minute, before finally coming up for air.

Ryohei frowned. "Do you recall being in any sort of place, before?" he asked. Haruto may be a little strange, but he definitely wasn't the type of person to ever get close to such an institution. "Any documents… medical records…?" His voice trailed off, after realizing that he wouldn't really have access to that sort of information within a prison. The best he could do was double-check any newspapers with Haruto's name that matched the description of his crime.

With a groan, Ryohei sank into his seat, as Haruto watched curiously. "Um…" The Ultimate Caricaturist hesitated. "Is something wrong, Shark Grin?"

Ryohei glanced at Haruto. "Can you keep a secret?"

Haruto nervously fidgeted in his seat. "Um… maybe?"

Ryohei sighed. Well good enough he supposed. "I'm thinking that I might've taken on more than I could chew," he admitted. "I'm just… I don't know how I'm going to come up with a definitive way to defend everyone. I'm fighting a losing battle."

Haruto looked hurt. "You think… we might be guilty?"

Ryohei was surprised. "No!" he said quickly. "It's just that I having trouble trying to definitively prove your innocence."

"But… you think we're innocent right?"

He was unsure of where Haruto was going with this. "Yes…?" Ryohei said slowly.

"Then isn't that's what's important?" Haruto said, almost rambling like he was coming up with the words before he could even think about what he was saying. "You're going to defend us and win! You're not an idiot, so there's gotta be something you can think of! We are all counting on you to get us out of here. You-You can't just give up!"

Ryohei blinked. "I… wasn't planning on giving up."

Haruto winced. "You weren't?"

"Yes… but…" Ryohei paused. "Thanks for that. I needed someone to remind me why I was doing this."

"You're welcome?" Haruto frowned, clearly unsure of what he had done.

"To move on, however," Ryohei said, getting back to business. "About any medical records, you could tell me about…"

The two of them continued to talk for a while with Haruto helping Ryohei by giving him plenty of information and even admitting to a certain secret of his. Thanks to that, Ryohei felt a little more hopeful once he had sent Haruto away. After a few moments of looking through his notes, he tucked the pen and notepad under his shoulder and headed towards the dining hall for something to eat.

**Ryohei and Haruto Rank C Support Achieved!**

Xxx

Ryohei was walking back to his room, after picking up some food from the dining hall, still thinking about what Haruto had said to him. The other interviews had been a varying degree of success, but Haruto, in his own strange way, seemed to encourage Ryohei the most.

He was a little worried, admittedly, despite Haruto's encouragement. He still had a lack of materials and, even worse, a lack of faith from his clients. "If only there was something…" he muttered to himself. "Anything I could use to definitely prove that all of us are innocent-!"

"I see you have been preparing for the upcoming trial," a sudden familiar voice came from behind Ryohei.

Ryohei whirled around to see that Monokume was standing right behind. "Monokuma!" he cried in surprise, taking a careful step back. What was it doing here?

Monokuma giggled. "How is it going?" it asked Ryohei. "Find anything that may help you? Or are you thinking that you may have made a mistake?"

Ryohei growled. "No, to all of those," he answered, fiercely. "I'll make sure I succeed."

Monokuma was quiet for a moment, its expression unreadable to Ryohei. "That's good," the bear finally said.

Ryohei blinked. "What?"

Monokuma turned its back on Ryohei and began to shake its head. "Ryohei, Ryohei," it said almost sadly. "I don't want you to fail. Far from it. After all, if you manage to succeed, then isn't that a good thing? For those bastards, you're defending, of course?"

Ryohei chose his next words carefully, suspecting that Monokuma was trying to trip him up for some sort of reason. "I suppose… but why would you care?" Ryohei asked suspiciously. "You're the one who trapped us here after all. You and whatever crew you've got behind you are the ones who want us to stay."

"Oh, Ryohei… It's a disappointment that you don't know the sacrifice you're making for these fifteen criminals." Ryohei still couldn't see Monokuma's face, but the bear sounded… sympathetic? "I may want something from all of this… but ask yourself if it is what you want in the end?"

Ryohei opened his mouth to answer but found that he had none. He knew what he wanted. To escape and save the rest of his friends from the hideous fate that Monokuma had described the day before. But for some reason, those words couldn't leave his mouth, as if, deep down, he didn't believe. "I want…" he managed to finally croak out. "I want-!"

The sound of sudden static distracted Ryohei and he glanced up to see a nearby monitor turn itself on, to reveal Monoden and Monoline sitting on a brown leather couch. Monoline was holding a small martini glass in her hands.

"Hello, everyone." Monoden sounded like his usual timid self. "Um… this is your daily reminder that nighttime has begun."

Monoline waved her glass, gesturing to the two's current setup."We'll be doing this every day from now on. Just to remind you, idiots, when it's time to go to bed. Otherwise, I'm sure you'll be stupid enough to just die from exhaustion!" She laughed, as the monitor turned itself off.

Ryohei looked away from the monitor to see that Monokuma had vanished once again. With a frustrated sigh, he returned to his room and stored all the information he had gathered in a safe place, before, finally, falling into bed. He stared up at his ceiling, his arms behind his head. This is going to be harder than I initially thought, he couldn't help but think, as he closed his eyes and let himself relax after another exhausting day at the office.

* * *

**I'm a little torn on this chapter. Not a whole lot happens, and it ended up being a lot longer and taking longer than I initially thought it would. The characterizations may be a problem too, I'm unsure, but regardless I hope everyone enjoyed at least most of it!**

**Regarding the free time events, I've chosen to start everyone's free time events with Ryohei in this manner. Just to have some character building before the first murder and maybe even hide who the first death is. As to why they resemble supports from the Fire Emblem series well… I couldn't exactly remember how the games usually track the progress(And I wasn't willing to break out my copy of DRV3 just to find out) and thought it looked a little unique. I may change it later on in the story if I need to. But for now, it's good enough.**

**Review and constructive criticism are appreciated.**


	7. The Sinful Art of Hope (Part 2)

Chapter 5: The Sinful Art of Hope- A Phone Call Home

**If you didn't notice I didn't put up the review replies in the previous chapter. Honestly…. I forgot to do them. I've never gotten used to doing them, so I've kinda just given up on them. I am MUCH more used to replying to reviews through PMs. I suppose I could just paste the PMs within the story itself, so tell me if you would like to see that!**

**But yeah, it's easier to put down my thoughts on reviews in the moment rather than a good month later, lmao. (Even though this chapter took only a week.)**

**Edit(03/02/20): Fixed line within Sho's Freetime from "agree" to "disagree"**

* * *

"Wake up, prisoners! Wake up!" The sound of a clanging bell made Ryohei's eyes snap open, as he quickly sat up in his bed and glanced around, alarmed. Where was he-?!

Oh, right.

He turned his attention towards the monitor in the corner of the room to see Monoline and Monoden on it. Monoline was rapidly ringing a large cowbell as Monoden had his paws over his ears. After a few seconds of ringing, Monoline put the bell away. "That's yer early morning wake up call!" she announced, maliciously. "From now on, every day, you'll wake up thanks to this handy bell."

"It was too loud," Monoden murmured.

"Oi, what do you know?!" Monoline snapped bitterly, before turning back towards the camera. "In other news, we have an announcement to make."

"A very important announcement," Monoden said with a nod.

"At noon, we are requesting everyone's presence at the warden's office. Anyone who fails to show up…" Monoline giggled. "Will be _punished_ most severely." With that lingering threat hanging in the air, the screen turned off.

Ryohei frowned. Unnerving. He was suspicious of their motives and had a bad feeling of what they might do. However, in the end, there wasn't anything he could do about it lest he received punishment (which most likely meant execution). The best he could do was continue to build his case for everyone before the trial in only another two days.

With a stretch of his arms, he began to get ready for the long day.

Xxx

Ryohei had entered the dining hall to mostly find everyone looking just as bleary-eyed and exhausted as he had thought they would be. The morning announcement had jarred nearly everyone out of their bed, but Ryohei wasn't interested in just mulling about complaining about the lack of sleep. In an effort to be as productive as possible, instead, Ryohei tapped North on the shoulder and told him to come to the Archive Room for a discussion, after he was done with his breakfast. North had agreed with some amount of enthusiasm, so Ryohei had grabbed himself some toast and coffee to eat within the library. There wasn't any rule about it after all.

Once he had sat down at his desk and taken a few bits of his toast, North came barging through the door, surprising Ryohei. "Am…" North placed his hands onto his knees, breathing heavily in a comically exaggerated fashion. "Am I late?"

Ryohei brushed a few of his crumbs from the corner of his mouth. "Er… no?" he answered cautiously. "I was just in the middle of eating." He raised a brow. "I thought I said that you could come in another thirty minutes. It's only been about ten."

North groaned and rubbed his eyes, which had bags under them. "You did? Sorry, I guess I heard you wrong." He sat down with a huff. "I hate waking up early. But after that announcement, I couldn't go back to sleep and my mind's been juggling ever since."

"Sorry to hear that," Ryohei replied diplomatically. "If you want you can come later. Take a nap and come back."

"No way!" North argued as Ryohei blinked. "This is way too important! Your life is one the line!"

"And yours too," Ryohei chose to remind.

"And you're the only one trying to save it," North retorted, before looking down. "I just feel so useless." He looked back at Ryohei with a determined face. "Seriously if you need any help with anything just ask me. I'll do anything I can to help!"

"I will if I need to," Ryohei promised. "But right now, can you just tell me what they think you did?"

North winced and looked hesitant, but finally explained his crime.

Ryohei blinked. "Well, that's just…" He trailed off as he turned towards his notes and began to write things down. "Just to clarify you're the Ultimate Juggler, and you're 17 years of age, correct?"

"Yes."

"Thanks." Ryohei jotted that piece of information down.

North watched him silently for a few moments, but after a while, he asked, "How many cases like this have you prosecuted before?"

"Hm?" Ryohei paused, debating on whether to tell him since he felt that it might've made North a little less hopeful about his chances. But he relented and said, "Four… no, five. There was that one in Moscow…"

North seemed to sag. "Well that sucks," he muttered. "So how many cases have you prosecuted?"

"Ninety-five," Ryohei answered without thinking.

North's mouth fell open. "N-ninety-five?!" he croaked out. "B-But's that's… You're still only a teenager! How could you do so many?!"

"I've been doing this since I was 10," Ryohei explained, taking a pause in his notetaking. "Since I was so young when I started, I actually charged very little, since my thought process…" He hesitated, feeling a little embarrassed of telling North this. "Well as a kid, I thought I was doing it all for justice. People took advantage of that I suppose. I was overworked to hell and back." He paused before chuckling. "Though I guess nothing's really changed since then."

"And you won them all?" North asked.

Ryohei cockily grinned. "I did," he bragged. "I guess that's why I'm feeling confident about doing this. I've beaten the odds before. I'm sure I can do it again."

North seemed to choose your next words carefully. "Even though you were originally a prosecutor?" he asked.

Ryohei's mouth tightened into a line. "Yeah," he said, unable to meet North's eyes as he looked back down at his notes. "I know I can do this."

**Ryohei and North Support Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

"How are you doing, man?" Isaiah with the ever-present huge grin wandered into the room after being called up by North. He gazed around the room, his expression shifting to that of uncomfortableness. "Is everything going well?"

"Well…" Ryohei hesitated on answering. "It's going as fine as it is I suppose. I've, at the very least, not yet given up hope on saving everyone." He glanced down at his notes. "To clarify you're 17 years of age and known as the Ultimate Amateur Astronomer, right?"

"Yeah," Isaiah nodded, as he sat down. "So, I'm guessing I need to tell you what I apparently did to get locked up in this place?"

"Not exactly," Ryohei said. "I actually want some more elaboration. You mentioned that you fired unauthorized rockets into space. And then those rockets that you created and modified… they struck cities and towns killing people?"

Isaiah nodded. "I swear I wouldn't do something like that!" he insisted. "Not that I would do that. I'm comfortable enough using my own tools and telescopes to investigate space. There's no reason for me to go!" He began to babble in a desperate attempt to convince Ryohei that he was innocent. "The amount of force it would take to launch someone like me into space would be too much. There's no way I could buy all the equipment to do that! I would also-!"

"Isaiah!" Ryohei quickly interrupted, stunning Isaiah into silence. "It's okay, I believe you, remember?" He shook his head. "Besides the situation is next to impossible."

Isaiah blinked.

Deciding to explain, Ryohei gestured to his surroundings. "If there was some sort of accident involving rockets that killed people, it would make international news or at the very least national news. There wouldn't be any way for word not to spread," he explained. "Before you arrived, I checked to see if there was a similar story to yours."

"And?" Isaiah asked curiously.

"And nothing," Ryohei confirmed. "I checked every newspaper and the magazine from the past fifteen years. Unless you did everything in the past few weeks or while you were a baby which is doubtful."

Isaiah frowned and folded his arms. "So then who would've given me false charges," he wondered aloud.

"No idea," Ryohei said with a shake of his head. Really it was a confusing situation. "But one thing is clear. You're innocent. And if you're innocent then…"

"Then everyone might also be innocent," Isaiah finished for him.

"Exactly," Ryohei said with a nod. "The evidence is undeniable."

Isaiah scratched his head. "But couldn't they be hiding all that information from us. Monoline and Monoden I mean." He shook his head. "They're evil."

Ryohei leaned back in his seat. "I suppose it's possible," he admitted. "Though it'd be a lot of effort for something they didn't plan ahead for."

Both remained quiet for a couple of moments before Isaiah cleared his throat. "You're really smart, Ryohei. With people… with everything," he said falteringly. "Um… You're a pretty good friend, too." He quickly looked towards Ryohei as if scared of his response.

Ryohei blinked but then chuckled a bit at the sincerity of the statement. "Thanks, Isaiah. You're a good friend too."

**Ryohei and Isaiah Rank C Support Achieved!**

Xxx

About 2 hours after Isaiah had left, Ryohei glanced at his MonoID to check the time, finding that it was actually about twenty minutes after noon. He had been so engrossed with his research that he had completely lost track of the time. "Fuck," he swore getting up from his seat and racing out of the door. He wasn't willing to die thanks to a simple issue of not paying attention to the time.

As he ran through the hallways, he found them empty of people, given him the impression that everyone was already at the warden's office. He picked up his pace, hoping that he hadn't just screwed him and everyone out of their chance for freedom.

It didn't take long for him to reach the warden's office, but the moment he arrived he skidded to a halt. As he took stock at the scene in front of him, he realized that something was very _very_ wrong.

He was the last person to arrive outside the warden's office, that was obvious enough. But not only that, it seemed like he had missed something that ended up being devastating to the others, given the atmosphere. Everyone seemed to in a mix of shock, despair, and anger. Some leaned into one emotion than multiple, like Ayako and Sho. Both were currently demanding Monoline to talk to them, but Monoline was doing an amazing job at just ignoring them. Mirai was curled up into a ball and had tears flowing down her face, while Moca was beside her trying to comfort the girl even though her own expression looked strained.

Zeyn was trying to push past Ayako and Sho to talk to the wardens. Haruto and Isaiah glanced around at the entire scene, looking just as lost as Ryohei. North seemed to have shied away from the others and was muttering something softly to himself. Rin was leaning against the wall of the warden's office, her expression dark. Nafia's expression was both troubled and confused, Kaori was equally as troubled, and Erik's was humming a somber tune trying to calm himself down.

"Ryohei!" Ryohei turned to see Pauline and Ruby close, both just as troubled as the others. "Oh thank god, you're here," Ruby said with a nod of her head. Out of everyone Ruby and Pauline were least shaken up about whatever happened.

"We thought you might've gotten punished," Pauline agreed with a nod, her worried face making Ryohei feel guilty.

"Sorry," he apologized. "But just what happened here?"

Pauline and Ruby exchanged a pained look. "It's a motive," Ruby finally said after a second passed. "They had-"

"Oi, there you are!" Ruby was suddenly interrupted by Monoline, who had waddled over. The warden was looking at Ryohei, still ignoring the other three behind her, who were giving the bear dirty looks. "Any more time and I would've had to kill you!" She jumped up and grabbed his arm, before starting to tug him away towards the entrance to the warden's office. "Come on!"

"W-wait!" Ryohei stammered. "What are you planning on doing?!"

"You'll figure it out," Monoline sneered, as the door to the warden's office opened up and Rentarou and Monoden stepped out.

Rentarou sighed as he looked around at the others, before directing his gaze at Monoline. "Seriously?" he asked. "Is that all you wanted to show me? That's supposed to change my mind?"

"Well…" Monoden shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "I suppose different people have different reactions."

Rentarou snorted. "Maybe work on your techniques for next time, then." He shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk back towards the rooms, not bothering to even glance in the direction of the others.

Monoline pushed Ryohei inside as Monoden waddled in after him. Monoline quickly shut the door before Ryohei could escape. "Hey!" Ryohei pounded his fist against the door. "Let me…" His voice died when he realized that there was a strange ringing coming from further within the dark room. Turning away from the door, he noticed that a desk had been placed in the center of the room. On it was a rotary phone which was ringing.

"Please pick it up," Monoden said, making Ryohei jump. He had forgotten that he was there. "It is for you."

"For… me?" Ryohei repeated, carefully making his way to the telephone. Everything about this felt dangerous to Ryohei, but he had a feeling that Monoden wouldn't let him leave if he didn't.

He picked the phone up and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he said carefully, wondering who was on the other side while giving Monoden a cautious look.

"…_Brother_."

Ryohei froze. No… it wasn't possible. He recognized the voice, but there was no way. He shot a look at Monoden who seemed to be expressionless. There was no way it could be her. If he had to guess it was some sort of imposter. Someone mimicking her voice to manipulate him.

A deep breath from the other end. "_You said you would buy me that raspberry ice cream and raspberry soda the last time we spoke._"

Ryohei exhaled. He remembered the conversation. Before he had left for Hope's Peak Academy, he had promised to buy her some ice cream in celebration. His grip on the phone tightened. "Have they captured you?" he asked, quickly looking behind him at Monoden, who was standing behind him perfectly stationary. "Are they holding you hostage?"

"_No, I'm fine._" Ryohei let out a sigh of relief at the answer. "_I heard about what you did._"

He froze. "It's not true. I didn't do anything."

"_Please, brother_," she begged, catching Ryohei off-guard. "_You and I know its true. Just… just accept your sentence."_ She sounded like she was holding back a sob.

Ryohei's jaw clenched. "You can't seriously think…." His voice faltered. "_believe _that I did something that bad."

"_I already know you did_," she replied. Some silence passed between them, where Ryohei could hear someone talking with his sister on the other end, before she finally said, "_They're telling me our time is up. Good-bye, brother_."

"W-wait!" Ryohei said trying to stop her from hanging up. "Don't do it! I still need to-!"

"_I love you,_" she said. "_Ryohei._" Her final words before a small _click_ and the line cut off.

He stood there, frozen in place for a while. Finally, Monoden waddled over and tugged on his sleeve. "Your time is up," he said in a low voice. "You must leave now."

"What the hell was that?" Ryohei finally said, turning his attention towards the warden. Monoden didn't make any obvious movements. "Who was that, really?!"

"Someone your close to. Someone who wished to speak to you," he whispered. "Every prisoner gets a call from the outside. It's standard procedure."

"So, everyone else…" Ryohei muttered, finally understanding the mood outside. It was very simple. It was a motive. A way to make everyone else believe that he couldn't defend them. He didn't blame them. If even their family members thought they were guilty at that point who else was there to believe them?

Ryohei followed Monoden back out. Everyone was waiting for him. Staring at him, waiting for what he would say or do. Would he lash out at Monoden and Monoline? Give up on defending them? Snap right then and there and kill someone in a desperate bid to survive?

He gritted his teeth and looked at each one of them in the eyes. He wasn't about to let this fucked up system win and kill his new friends. Not if he had anything to say about it.

"I promise!" He declared aloud, startling everyone. "I promise that I will defend you! I promise…"

"I promise that I'll prove everyone innocent!"

As he watched Ryohei make his speech, Rentarou couldn't help but let a smile dance on his face.

Xxx

Moca was already waiting by the time that Ryohei had arrived.

"Sorry," he apologized, squeezing past her to get to his seat. "Were you waiting long?" He had been held up with asking everyone from before some more questions and, while he didn't press who they had talked to on the phone, it was important to get some context on how they were feeling.

Moca shook her head. "No, you're fine," she said a little cheerfully.

"So…" Ryohei awkwardly said as he sat down. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, too," Moca insisted. "To tell you the truth my dad was the one on the other side. He…" She hesitated before seemingly forcing a smile. "Was just worried about me. Wanted to know if I was doing alright. I told him about you and how you were trying to help us."

"Is that so?" Ryohei said, not actually believing her. The phone calls were a tool used by the people in charge to make them lose hope. He doubted that they would've been okay with such an amicable call. "Well, let's just move past that for now. You're the Ultimate Part-Timer and you're 17 years old, right?"

"That's right!" Moca nodded.

"What's your crime?" he asked.

"Well… it's a long story…" Moca launched into a tale of her background and how the accusation against her may make sense to someone else.

Ryohei frowned and leaned back in his chair. "That makes it a little tougher," he muttered, before wincing. "I mean it's still possible," he said hurriedly, trying to assure Moca. "I'll just have to come up with some sort of way to convince the jury…" He began to mutter to himself, writing down solutions in his notepad.

Moca watched him, constantly fidgeting. She glanced around the empty room too, only to notice something she hadn't when she and Ryohei had first arrived. "Is this place more organized than before?" she asked.

"It is," Ryohei answered. "It took some time. I needed to cross-reference current events with all of your crimes and see if the news had reported on anything."

"Did the phone calls…?" Moca began before hesitating. "Um… Do you think the phone calls changed your plan?"

"Did they change my plan?" Ryohei repeated. "No, I wouldn't say that they did. But they are putting pressure on me to work even harder."

"Why is that?"

"The phone calls are a motive," Ryohei explained. "I'm assuming the purpose of the calls was to encourage others that killing someone is the only way to get out of here. The wardens want them to forget about the trial."

"And do you think it'll work."

Ryohei pursued his lips and leaned forward. "Moca, do you think you committed a crime?" he asked.

Moca looked startled. "What? No, of course not!"

"Then why would you want to commit one now?" Ryohei asked. He shook his head. "Why would someone want to prove to the outside world that they're bad people? That would make them seem worse once they do escape."

"Then you think it's not going to work?" she asked.

Ryohei nodded. "Of course not," he insisted. "No one's going to kill. What reason would there be? Everyone's innocent."

Moca blinked. "You have a lot of faith in us." Her eyes suddenly lit up, as if getting an idea. "We should thank you! Do something nice for you like how you're doing for us!"

"Um… Thanks for thinking of me," Ryohei said. "But that's not necessary..."

"Oh, of course." She winked. "Don't worry I'm definitely not planning anything fun!"

"Um…" Ryohei found that hard to believe. "Right…"

**Ryohei and Moca Support Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

"Sho Kawakaze," Ryohei said, reading off his notepad. "Your age is 16 and you are known as the Ultimate Dart Thrower. Is that correct?"

Sho rolled his eyes. "What do you think, Mr. Prosecutor?" he asked, gesturing to the darts held within his pocket. "The answer's pretty obvious don't you think?"

Ryohei frowned. He hadn't been looking forward to this. Sho clearly didn't think highly of him and was probably still reeling from the phone call. Still, he had to persist. "What's your crime?"

His eyes rolled again, as he explained what he had done. "Good enough for you?" he asked after he was finished explaining. "Or do you need more details that I don't have?"

"It's fine," Ryohei answered, writing down a possible defense within his notepad. It took a few seconds for him to come up with one, however. The problem with Sho's is that Ryohei wasn't sure if there would actually be any news about his crime. Compared to some of the others, it was small though no less horrifying. He looked back up at Sho. "Can you tell me who called you in the afternoon?" he asked carefully.

Sho shrugged. "No one." He looked away.

Ryohei found himself gritting his teeth. "I can't help you if you don't…"

"I was being serious," interrupted Sho. "Given my crime talking to my family wouldn't make sense, would it?"

Ryohei was quiet for a moment. "Yeah you're correct," he finally said. He bowed his head. "I apologize."

Sho just snorted.

Seeing that Sho wasn't going to say anything else, Ryohei turned around to check the newspapers he had organized for anything that might match Sho's situation.

"Should you really be defending us?"

Ryohei blinked and turned back towards the Ultimate Dart Thrower. "Sorry?"

"You're the Ultimate Prosecutor," Sho pointed out. "That's what you're talented in." His jaw clenched. "You really going to abandoned your talent like that?" He scowled. "Are you planning on becoming the Ultimate Lawyer now?"

"I don't think now's the time to think about things like that," Ryohei said.

"Honestly?" Sho shrugged. "I think you should give up. Your talent is prosecution not defending."

"Talent isn't everything, Sho," Ryohei pointed out.

"Except it is," Sho shot back. "We're Ultimates, Ryohei. Our talent is our entire identity. And what you're doing now is basically suicidal." He shook his head. "I should be proving my innocence by myself. I shouldn't be asking for the help of a talentless hack."

Ryohei frowned. "Are you frustrated because of the phone calls?"

"Fuck the phone calls," Sho scowled. "What do they matter? Really, I just can't stand people who don't like the talent they were given."

"Is that the problem you have against me?" Ryohei asked. "You disagree with my feelings towards my talent?" When Sho said nothing, Ryohei shook his head. "That really isn't any of your business," he retorted. "I don't have to get lectured by some guy who's talent is just throwing darts-!"

_Thunk!_

Ryohei barely had any time to even notice that Sho had thrown his dart at him, just narrowly missing the right side of his head. The dart pierced the wood of the shelf behind Ryohei and remained there as it had embedded itself deep into the wood.

"A talent is a talent," Sho said coldly, getting up from his seat, pulling his bandanna over his mouth and shoving his hands into his pockets. "For some guy to disregard the skills that he built for himself all for some silly _guilt_ and then mouth off to me…" He didn't bother finishing the statement as he turned to leave. "Don't bother trying to defend me. I can handle myself."

He walked out of the room, leaving Ryohei sitting there with an expression equal parts guilty and bewildered.

**Ryohei and Sho Support ****Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

"Ryohei?" A light knock came from the other side of the door. Ryohei recognized the voice as Pauline. "May I come in?"

Ryohei, who was a little exhausted from talking with Sho, gave a nod even though she couldn't see him. "Yeah you can," he said, as the door open and Pauline. He gave her a tired smile and gestured to the chair in front of him.

She sat down as Ryohei glanced at his notepad. "You're the Ultimate Runway Model and your age is 16, right?"

Pauline nodded. "Yes," she said, cheerfully, playing with her hair, which was done up in a ponytail, sheepishly. "My parents were models too and they taught me everything I know."

Ryohei smiled. "That's nice," he complimented. "Can you tell me about your crime?"

She winced. "Ah… yes. Well, please don't judge me when you know. It's ridiculous. I would never do something like that." She explained her crime.

Ryohei frowned. "Yeah… that is pretty crazy. There's no way a teenager could run such an operation without someone catching on. If you were caught then there it would've been a pretty big story…" He began to mutter to himself, turning to the stacks and stacks of papers behind him.

Pauline watched Ryohei for a bit, noticing that he seemed slightly distracted and not completely invested in the information he was gathering. "Ryohei," she said, drawing his attention back to her. "Are you alright? You don't seem to be feeling well… would you like to talk about it?"

"I-It's not important," Ryohei said shaking his head.

"Is it about the phone call?" Pauline guessed.

Ryohei winced. "Yeah," he admitted.

Pauline placed a hand on her cheek. "My family contacted me. They gave me a stern talking to about my crime," she explained. "Were your parents also mad?"

"I don't have parents," Ryohei muttered. "They died when I was little."

Pauline wrinkled her nose. "Oh, you're an orphan?"

"I was raised by my uncle," Ryohei admitted. "Though he died when I was eleven and left us with his house and small fortune made from gambling."

She raised an eyebrow. "Us?"

"My little sister." Ryohei's attention seemed to be drawn to the pen in his hands, intent on not meeting Pauline's eyes. "She's my only family."

"So, I'm guessing she was the one on the other end," Pauline said sympathetically.

"You're correct." Ryohei sighed. "I've just…never heard her sound so _disappointed _in me. It made me almost second-guess myself on what I was doing. If even the only family I had left didn't believe I was innocent, then…" His voice trailed off.

"Hmph." Pauline folded her arms. "Does that mean you're giving up like a coward?"

"Does it look like I gave up?" Ryohei asked pointedly.

"Touché," she replied a little coolly. She folded her arms. "So, what is your plan then? If your little sister doesn't want you to prove yourself innocent, will she approve of your plan?"

"I know my family," Ryohei answered a little testily, not really appreciating the poking and prodding from Pauline. "She'll… she'll believe me when I prove it to the world."

Despite the confidence in Ryohei's voice, Pauline still seemed unconvinced. Even Ryohei was having a hard time in believing in his statement. _Just what happened that made you lose your trust in me? _He couldn't help but wonder.

**Ryohei and Pauline Support Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

"This is the daily reminder that nighttime has begun," Monoden announced. Ryohei could see the two bears on a nearby monitor within the dining hall, as he chewed on some pasta that Mirai had made and left out for him. He checked the time to see that it was 10 PM.

"Yeah, go to sleep you bastards!" Monoline guffawed.

"Well… I mean…. You don't have too," Monoden. "You could wander around the prison trying to kill someone so you're loved ones will forgive you." With those ominous words, the monitor turned off.

"Yeah I don't think that's happening," Ryohei found himself muttering, looking around the dining hall to find it completely empty. No one was around. Ryohei assumed that most of them were in their rooms and grappling with the motive. Though he had seen Moca and North near the storage room talking to each other, so perhaps his assumption was hasty.

Regardless, the day's events had left Ryohei a lot to think about. The phone calls had changed the atmosphere around the prison putting a lot more pressure on Ryohei. That was evident enough when he was meeting with Sho. The Ultimate Dart Thrower had been quick to anger and didn't seem to trust Ryohei to defend him, despite Ryohei's attempt to assure Sho.

Ryohei sighed as he ran his plate under the water within the kitchen, cleaning it. Things had taken a turn and it happened at the worst time possible. He still had four others he needed to interview, and he wasn't sure how Erik, Kaori, Ruby, and Rentarou may react during it. Though he trusted the first three to at least give him a chance, Rentarou… well, Ryohei didn't trust him all that much.

He placed his cleaned plate back into the shelves within the kitchen and began his trek back to his room. It didn't take him long to get back and, after making sure all the information he had gathered was safe, he collapsed into bed.

Still… he was definitely feeling a lot better about today than he was yesterday. Everyone today, barring Sho, was genuinely trying their best to help him.

He reached his hand out to the ceiling as if someone would take it. "I'm almost there. Only another two days. I swear I'll-"

_Static._

* * *

**Probably another chapter I'm not sure how I feel about. I did everything I wanted to do****. I managed to finish it**** a lot ****quicker given I had a break in**** the ****last**** week****, so don't expect the next chapter to come as quickly (especially since the next chapter is going to be a lot harder to write compared to this one).**

**Reviews, Issues with characters, and constructive criticism are appreciated. Reminder to check my profile if you want to see my progress on any given chapter. I was updating it frequently during the past week.**

**We'll see how long it takes for the next chapter. I would like to get it finished as fast as I did this one, but… I doubt it. Regardless, I've at least been a lot more consistent in writing more.**


	8. The Sinful Art of Hope (Part 3)

Chapter 6: The Sinful Art of Hope- For Once

**Finally, the chapter where the bad thing happens. Honestly, this chapter might've come a little sooner if I didn't decide to somewhat overhaul the initial murder I had planned since I felt it a little contrived. Mostly this only relates to the way the murder was committed and not who the victim/killer is.**

**On that note, apologies if you were the one who submitted the character who dies in this chapter! The killing game must start somewhere, and the character that died was the perfect way to get the ball rolling. I understand it is somewhat hard to continue following the story when your character dies, but I hope you do so anyway!**

* * *

Ryohei glanced up from his breakfast the next morning to see Moca and North whispering to each other. They noticed him staring and quickly stood up from their table and made their way upstairs to the lounge. "What are they doing?" he asked Rentarou, as the two were sitting across from each other.

"Oh, it's nothing important," Rentarou said evasively, poking his scrambled eggs with his fork. "I wouldn't worry about it, really. Just try to focus on making your case."

"Yeah, I know," Ryohei grumbled. "You're going to be the last one I see anyway."

Rentarou blinked. "Oh, right, right. I forgot," he said, scratching his head sheepishly. "I'm not planning on coming in for an interview."

"Hm?" Ryohei wasn't sure that he had heard Rentarou correctly. "You're not coming?"

"Exactly." Rentarou took his plate and stood up. "Don't worry about defending me, Ryohei. I can do it myself."

"W-wait!" Ryohei tried to stop Rentarou, alarmed by his sudden declaration. "I'm supposed to be your lawyer! If I don't understand what you did, and I fail to defend you-!"

"And you _won't_," Rentarou said, walking away. "Have some confidence in me. I don't plan on dying anytime soon either." Before Ryohei could say anything else, Rentarou dropped off his plate in the kitchen, shoved his hands into his pockets and walked out of the dining hall, just as Kaori and Erik entered.

Erik raised an eyebrow, upon seeing Ryohei's annoyed look. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Kazuhara?" he asked, curiously, as Kaori frowned, waiting for Ryohei to answer.

"No," he replied, not trying to hide the frustration in his voice. "I'm just worried about my life expectancy now…" Seeing Erik's and Kaori's confused looks, he explained, "Rentarou says he isn't planning on showing up to tell me his crime. He insists that he can defend himself without my help."

Erik and Kaori exchanged a look. "Do you find him untrustworthy?" Erik asked, politely.

Ryohei flinched. "Well…" he mumbled; his eyes suddenly drawn to the floor. "In a way," he finally admitted. "Truth be told, I find his talent suspicious. Private investigators are people who I've never gotten along with."

Kaori blinked. "Do you think that he'll sabotage you?"

"No," Ryohei quickly answered. "Even he wants to escape. I can't see him purposely trying to be kept here."

"Kill?" Kaori asked.

Ryohei shook his head. "No," he said firmly, confident in his answer. "I just can't see that." He sighed. "I suppose I can let him defend himself. He is the Ultimate Private Eye. That type of detective work is leagues above what I can do." His eyes narrowed. "I just wish he would help out…" he muttered under his breath, so Erik and Kaori wouldn't hear him.

_Thump!_

Ryohei blinked when Ruby suddenly dropped a small box in front of him. He blinked. "What's this?" he asked.

"It's a lunch box," Ruby explained. "Mirai doesn't want you in the kitchen or dining hall this afternoon."

Ryohei frowned. "Why?"

All three of them exchanged a knowing look. "It's a surprise," Erik explained. "For now, Mister Kazuhara, the remaining three that you have yet to talk to are all right here are they not."

Ryohei blinked. "You're right," he said with a nod. "I suppose we'll go in order again," he said, standing up and tucking the lunch box under his arm. "That means Kaori… you're first."

Xxx

"Kaori Tachibana, age 17," Ryohei said, reading off his notes, the moment that Kaori and he arrived within the Archive Room. "You're known as the Ultimate Food Chemist."

"Yes." Kaori nodded her gaze on Ryohei sharp.

"Um… I was wondering…" Ryohei paused trying to think of the best way to word his question. "What exactly is a Food Chemist? I've never heard of that career before."

"It's a very simple job," Kaori said, brusquely. "I study chemical processes related to food. For example, I study the effects that different foods have on the human body and the chemical process that results in different foods. For example, I have written a paper on the effect that gluten has on the texture of bread and other foods." She shook her head. "However, I particularly specialize in studying food allergies."

Ryohei nodded, though most of what she talked about went over his head. However, he was able to understand what food allergies were. "So, what was your crime?" he asked.

Kaori explained what she had apparently done in a professional manner.

"Have you been there before?" Ryohei asked.

"Yes, I have." She nodded. "Is there still any way you can come up with a proper defense for me with that?"

"Yeah." Ryohei glanced at the newspapers he had stacked up behind him. The date went up the last time he remembered outside of the prison. "Just in case, do you remember any of your family members going with you? Or maybe any close friends?"

"My parents did," she answered.

"So, you don't have any close friends?" Ryohei surmised. When Kaori remained quiet, he chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about it. I don't have any friends either."

Kaori seemed mildly surprised. "Someone like you?" she asked. "I expected you to be popular."

"I was always too busy to make any friends after most of my childhood," Ryohei explained. "Being hired for so many jobs cut down on your time, especially if you spent the rest of your free time taking care of a little sister." He chuckled. "I did have some friends when I was little, but I honestly don't remember most of them anymore."

Kaori remained quiet, choosing not to comment.

Ryohei tapped the table, reminiscing about old times. "There was this one kid," he blurted out, as memories of his childhood replayed in his mind. "We were friends… at least from my point of view, we were. His father was a lawyer. He had a bunch of law textbooks in his office. My friend and I… well mostly I would sneak in there to read them." He looked suddenly wistful. "I wonder what happened to him. After my uncle died, I moved and never saw him again."

Kaori again did not comment.

"Sorry," Ryohei apologized. "I'm probably boring you."

"It's fine," she said shortly, as Ryohei and her fell into a mutual silence, letting Ryohei continue to jot down several notes. He would ask some questions and Kaori would answer them as best as she could.

After a couple of hours of this questioning, Ryohei finally placed his pencil down. "Do you have anything else you want to say?"

"A request," she answered, leaning forward, eyeing the nearby camera. "I was hoping you wouldn't mention that I don't have any close friends my age. My parents…" She winced. "Well, they would be disappointed."

Ryohei stared at her for a moment before laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked annoyed.

He stifled his laugh, though the smile was still present on his lips. "Well, I just don't think we have to mention that! I would assume that after this situation is over, we'll consider each other mutual friends?"

Kaori did not comment and instead stood up, bowing her head. "Thank you for defending me," she said, turning her back on Ryohei. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "I appreciate it Ryohei." With those words, she left a smirked Ryohei behind.

**Kaori and Ryohei Support Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

Erik arrived not soon after Kaori left, sitting down on the chair in a graceful manner. He nodded his head. "Mister Kazuhara, I'm ready to begin."

"Thanks." Ryohei smiled gratefully as he took a look at his notes. "To clarify, you're Erik Daae, age 17 and known as the Ultimate Composer, right?"

"That is correct," Erik replied with a nod.

"And your crime?" Ryohei pressed.

Erik explained his crime. "However," he added at the end of his explanation. "I cannot fathom a reason why I would ever do such things. I am rather… adverse to the methods." He placed a hand on his mask, before quickly withdrawing it, his arm falling back to his side. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

Ryohei nodded. "Yeah, I was just wondering if you've been to these places before."

Erik hesitated, before nodding. "Yes, I performed in those places when I was a lot younger."

"Do you know what you performed?"

"It was several of the pieces that I created," Erik answered. "A mix of orchestral and classical. Unfortunately," He shook his head. "I couldn't tell you what exactly I had played at each place."

Ryohei frowned. That would cause some problems. But even so, he would've been able to find some mention of buildings being destroyed in that manner. It would've made some national news in the respective countries if not internationally. There would be some record…

He took some more notes before addressing Erik again. "You mentioned that you performed in these places when you were younger?" he asked. "You haven't done so recently."

"No," Erik answered with a shake of his head. "I seldom perform in front of a crowd anymore or even leave my home."

"Is that so…" Ryohei muttered, taking note of that. If that was the case, then it was likely there would be some eyewitness about Erik's whereabouts during those events. "Why is that?"

"Hm?" Erik blinked.

"Why do you no longer perform?" Ryohei asked. "You're known as the Ultimate Composer, but you don't perform your music?"

"I had… It's not something I like to talk about," Erik replied, firmly. "I apologize for asking this when I'm supposed to be cooperative, but may we please change the subject?"

Ryohei blinked. "Alright," he agreed, though he wondered about what Erik was trying to hide. He supposed it may come up in the trial. Perhaps afterward he could see if there were any stories, he could find related to the Ultimate Composer in the archive. "But I have to ask… did you not perform the music you composed?"

"No," Erik answered, calming his tense posture slightly. "I can sing."

Ryohei's interest perked. "Can you demonstrate?" he asked.

A nod. "I'll perform one of my older pieces," he offered, as he opened his mouth and began to sing.

Ryohei had been ready to write down notes but quickly found himself enthralled by the beautiful yet haunting melody coming from Erik. It was an incredible piece of music, one that Ryohei couldn't compare to the other trendier music he listened to with his sister. Every note flowed into the next and seemed to tell a story about revenge and atonement.

After Erik was done, Ryohei was a little shell-shocked. "That was incredible!" he breathed. "I've never heard anything like it before!"

"Thank you," Erik replied humbly, bowing his head. "I'm not sure how much it'll help during the trial, however."

"It's fine, don't worry about the trial," Ryohei dismissed. "If anything, you just made me more determined to defend you. If you were to die, then the world would lose an amazingly talented person!"

Erik looked touched. "T-thank you, Ryohei," he said again.

"Still," Ryohei said, his face turning once again serious. "Is still have some questions I need to ask."

Erik nodded. "Ask away."

They talked for the better part of an hour before Ryohei finally said he had enough. He sent Erik away, the haunting melody still playing within Ryohei's mind as the Ultimate Composer left the room.

**Erik and Ryohei Support Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

Since Ryohei had been asked by the others to not enter the dining hall, he ate inside the Archive Room. He was just finishing the last of the rice, when Ruby walked in, there for her interview. She blinked once she noticed that he was eating. "Sorry." She hesitated. "Should I come back later?"

"No, it's fine." Ryohei wiped his mouth with his sleeve and put the lunch box aside. "Please sit."

Ruby sat down, as Ryohei checked his notes. "You just turned 18 and you are known as the Ultimate Curler," he said. "Is that correct?"

Ruby nodded.

"And I guess I already know your crime," Ryohei said with a nod.

"Well, um…" Ruby hesitated. "I … Well, I left some details about it out." She began to explain some of the details she hadn't mentioned before.

Ryohei nodded. While initially silly, Ruby's crime got a lot more serious with the added details. "And you think this is possible?" he asked. "That it would happen?"

"No!" Ruby almost said vehemently, before calming down. "They would never do anything wrong." She looked down. "Those guys on the phone call must've been lying…"

Ryohei gave Ruby a sympathetic look. "They are," he said firmly. "Whoever that was on the other side was most likely trying to trick you."

Ruby gave him a grateful smile. "Yeah you're right," she said with a nod. "There's absolutely no way it's possible."

"Glad you're feeling more optimistic." He nodded and turned back to his notepad, as Ruby watched him in silence.

After a few minutes, Ruby cleared her throat, causing Ryohei to glance up. "Ryohei there's something else I wanted to bring up to you," she said with a serious look on her face. "To be honest, it doesn't have anything to do with proving us innocent… at least I_ think_ it doesn't. But it's something that's been bugging me the past few days."

Ryohei raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Ruby took a deep breath. "Right… Well…" She leaned in. "I was just wondering how we were communicating so well right now."

"Er… what are you talking about?"

She deflated a bit and toned down the seriousness. "You're really good at speaking English," she complimented.

Ryohei blinked. "Um, thanks? We're speaking in Japanese right now, though. I don't think anyone's said a word in English."

"And you don't think that's strange," Ruby prodded. She shook her head. "To me, you're speaking English right now." She bit her lip. "I talked to some of the others. Zeyn… Isaiah… Nafia…Erik… we can all communicate so perfectly despite being from different countries. It just doesn't make sense."

Ryohei frowned and thought about it for a moment. "You're… right," he realized. He was a bit annoyed with himself that he didn't realize it sooner. Multiple people from different nationalities and countries and yet there didn't seem to be anything lost in translation. "That shouldn't be possible…" he murmured.

"You think it's strange too!" Ruby excitedly exclaimed. "Oh, thank god, I thought I was going crazy!"

"I wonder how…" mused Ryohei.

"Do you think they might've messed with our minds?" Ruby asked. "Maybe there was some hypnosis or something similar…"

"Maybe…" Ryohei said uncertainly, before finally reaching a decision. "But… for the moment I don't think this has anything to do with proving your innocence. I'll keep it in mind, but for now, I wouldn't dwell on it too much. This seems like a can of worms."

Ruby hesitated but nodded. "Alright," she said, standing up. "Do you need me for anything else then?"

"No." Ryohei smile thankfully. "Thanks for coming." He let out a sigh. "Since Rentarou isn't coming, I suppose you were the last one that I needed to talk to."

"I'll try to get him to come," Ruby offered. "Thanks for helping us with this. You're our savior." With those words, she left the room.

Ryohei leaned back in his chair, pondering the recent discussion. "Communication… huh…"

**Ruby and Ryohei Support Rank C Achieved!**

Xxx

Ryohei glanced at the clock and sighed upon seeing that it was already almost six. "So, I guess he didn't show," he muttered to himself, a little disappointed. Rentarou had stuck true to his promise and never came to visit Ryohei.

He placed all of the information he had gathered in a small folder and stood up, just as Moca suddenly burst through the door. "Huh-?" he spluttered. "Moca! What are you doing here?!"

Moca seemed just as surprised as Ryohei, but that was quickly replaced with a large grin. "I knew I would find you here!" she said, cheerfully, grabbing Ryohei by the hand. "Come on!" she said, pulling him out of the Archive Room. "Something's happening!"

Ryohei instantly grew alarmed. "Is it bad?!" he asked, as he tried to keep up with Moca's pace.

"Uh… yeah!" Moca nodded, as she turned the corner towards the bridge that led to the lounge just above the dining hall. Ryohei gritted his teeth, as various scenarios flew threw his mind. Another motive? Perhaps Monokuma or Monoline were tormenting his friends?

Or maybe… maybe someone was dead?

Ryohei and Moca burst through the door and into the pitch-black darkness of the lounge. "What's going on-?!"

_Pop!_

_Pop!_

The lights turned back on, just as Ryohei felt small bits of paper land on his face. North and Mirai stood on either side of him holding party poppers with smiles on their faces. The others popped up from behind a desk, the sofa, one even popped out of dumbwaiter in the corner. "Surprise!" Some of them cried, while others just smiled.

Others… well, Sho had been sitting on the couch when the lights came back on. He made a rather scornful grunt when everyone cheered and didn't meet Ryohei's eyes. Nafia was seated nearby, quiet, though looked a little surprised by the sudden noise.

"Um…" Ryohei flapped his mouth a little uselessly, as Moca circled him so that she was in front of him. "What's going on?"

"It's a surprise party!" Moca cheerfully exclaimed.

"I gathered that," Ryohei replied a little numbly. "But I was just wondering why we're having a surprise party?"

"It was Moca's idea," Mirai said, glancing at the Ultimate Part-Timer. "She came into the dining hall yesterday, demanding that we have a party to thank you for everything you're doing."

"Of course," Zeyn smirked, as he brushed his hair back. "I was the one who planned the entirety of it." He gestured nearby where there were several desks pushed together to make a small table. Some bottles of soda were placed on it along with what looked like a small cake, alight with candles.

"So, um…" Ryohei still couldn't process what was happening. "Whose birthday is it?" he managed to ask.

Nearly everyone laughed. Even Ayako and Sho cracked some smiles. "It's a little hard to tell what month it is without a calendar," Kaori drawled.

"It's a party for you, Ryohei," Rentarou said, raising a glass. "As a way to thank you for defending us tomorrow." A smile played on his lips. "Want a drink?"

"No, I…" Ryohei's voice died as he gazed around the room at his friends' smiling faces, finally understanding. They were all waiting for him to speak, this party the best way they all thought they could properly thank him.

_So, this is… what I was working towards…_

"Thanks, everyone," he said. "I appreciate the entire thing." He sheepishly laughed and scratched the back of his head. "It's just kind of poor timing. I mean… I still need to sort out everything for tomorrow." He bowed his head. "Sorry about this. I can't stick around for long. Please just enjoy yourselves without me."

"Well…" Ryohei glanced up to see that Ruby was holding a cake with a couple of lit candles. "At least blow it out. So, you have good luck tomorrow."

Ryohei smiled and blew out the candles. Nearly everyone cheered. "Thanks, everyone," he said again, giving everyone a wide grin and a thumbs up. "I promise I'll defend all of you. I'll make sure I prove everyone innocent! I refuse… to let anyone die here under my watch!" With those words and the sound of cheering behind him, he walked out of the lounge, his arm in the air as a sort of wave good-bye.

Yes. Ryohei would win. That was without doubt. He would do the right thing and prove everyone, all of his newfound friends, innocent. That was his promise. That was his… his…

…

…

H-His…

…

Red…

Bright red…

Everything… was turning dark…

…

…

M…Mo… I p-promised…

I p-promised… that… I would…

T-the… r-right…

…

…

…

"Well, you tried… for once."

_Static._

Xxx

Zeyn yawned as he opened the door to his room and walked outside, as he blearily rubbed his eyes to try to get the sleep out of them. He was still somewhat tired from the party last night, but he was also somewhat of a late sleeper. It wasn't an _amazing_ party by any stretch of the imagination, but it was somewhat nice to relax and just have fun for a bit after being stuck in this stupid prison for several days.

As he walked towards the entrance to the prison, he noticed that everyone was already gathered near there. They all surrounded Monokuma who was standing in the middle tapping his foot. "Um…" he said, looking from side to side, once he joined the group. "Were you waiting for me?" He pointed to himself.

"No," Ayako snapped irritably. "But where were you?"

Another yawn. "Sleeping," Zeyn mumbled. "So, are we going to start this or what?"

"We're still waiting on Ryohei," Moca explained, looking worried. "He hasn't come out of his room."

"Well, I can't take you to the trial without your lawyer," Monokuma said, with a tilt of its head. "I guess since Ryohei has gotten cold feet, we'll have to cancel the entire event and continue with the killing game!"

"No, wait!" North quickly said. "We'll go look for him!" He looked at the others, to see most of them nodding. "We'll split up. Search the entire prison. He's probably just holed up somewhere and lost track of time!"

"Well…" Monokuma fell onto its back and yawned. "I suppose I'll just have to wait here until you all come back…" A few seconds of silence passed before Monokuma started to snore.

After a quick discussion on how to split up, everyone formed small groups and went in different directions, looking for Ryohei.

Xxx

"Why are you following me?" Sho grumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets as he and Rentarou climbed the stairs to Ryohei's room. After everyone agreed to split up to search for Ryohei, he had chosen to head to the rooms, figuring that the prosecutor was just sleeping in. Annoyingly, Rentarou had chosen to follow him there.

"I'm curious," Rentarou replied with a shrug. "Where _could've_ Ryohei gone at such an important time?"

"That's what we are trying to figure out, dumbass," Sho grumbled, as he walked down the pathway towards the door to Ryohei's room. However, the moment he got there he found something rather puzzling.

The door was slightly ajar, with a thin stream of light pouring outside from within. "He left his door open?" Sho wondered aloud, pushing the door. "Hey Ryohei, you there…" He recoiled once he witnessed the inside. "The hell?!"

Ryohei's room was a mess. The covers, pillows, and blanket from his bed were on the ground. His nightstand had been pushed over and the closet had been ripped bare, with all of Ryohei's clothes strewn about the floor. There was a large metal safe in the center of the room that was open, but empty.

"How interesting," Rentarou said, peering into the scene over Sho's shoulder. "What could've happened here?"

"No idea," Sho muttered. "Might some sort of stupid roleplay he was into." He scowled. "Let's just close it." He shut the door completely and heard a small _click._ "Hm?" He tried the door again, only to find that it was locked now.

"Is that how these doors work?" Rentarou asked, directing the question to Sho.

Sho opened his mouth to answer, only to get interrupted by the crackle of a nearby monitor. He turned his head to see that Monokuma was on the screen, sitting on a fancy leather chair and sipping a glass of wine. "A body has been discovered. After a set period of time, the class trial will begin!" The screen shut off immediately after the sentence was uttered.

_Click!_

Sho turned back Ryohei's door and tested the handle again to find that it was unlocked now. His mind was spinning. What had Monokuma said? A body had been discovered. That meant… That meant…

Sho whirled around and started to run towards the main building, with Rentarou following close behind.

_It had to be a mistake… It just had to be a mistake… It just…_

Xxx

"Where could've Ryohei gone?" North wondered aloud, as he, Moca, Haruto, and Kaori walked towards the dining hall, after splitting off from the others. "Today was supposed to be the day he's been working on for the past few days."

"Maybe he just fell asleep in the library, Back Cap!" Haruto offered.

North gave Haruto a weird look. "Is that supposed to be my nickname?"

Kaori, who was leading the small group, remained quiet, keeping a sharp look at their surroundings, as they made their way towards the dining hall. She didn't have a good feeling about the entire situation, but she tried to think of possible places that Ryohei might be. One of those was the dining hall. "Maybe Ryohei was eating and he fell asleep," she offered as a possibility. "He's been working non-stop; he might've been exhausted."

Moca skipped past Kaori and to the doors to the dining hall, eager to finally leave the prison. "Probably," she laughed, throwing open the door. "Ryohei you… here…?" Her voice died, as she stood there for a few moments before letting out a strangled gasp. She tried to back away but tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground onto her bottom.

"Moca!" North sensing something was wrong raced over with Haruto and Kaori. The three reached the door at the same time and all three skidded to a halt at the sight.

The body was against the door that led to the second floor and a large machete had been rammed through the chest area, piercing through the body and through the very door itself. Blood dripped from his gaping wound onto the floor creating a rather large bloodstain. His eyes were closed, and his arms, legs, and even head all hung loosely from his body.

Haruto's mind seemed to shut down. His hands were shaking, his mouth was moving yet not sounds came from it.

Kaori looked almost resigned by the sight, though the scene seemed to disgust her.

North could only stare at the body in shock, though his mind began to race with wild thoughts. Solutions, ideas, and questions ran through his head, but in the end, he kept returning to the same idea.

"Ding Dong!" North looked up at an upper corner of the dining hall where one of the monitors was hooked up. It turned on to show Monokuma sitting on a fancy leather chair sipping a glass of wine. "A body has been discovered. After a set period of time, the class trial will begin!" The screen began to fizzle and flicker after he said that until it was replaced by nothing more than television static.

_They had lost._

It was the one thought that North had as he faced the truth head-on.

Ryohei Kazuhara, the Ultimate Prosecutor, was dead.

* * *

**Alive:**

1\. Nafia 'Fia' Onyilogwu, Ultimate Traditional Healer

2\. Mirai Watanabe, Ultimate Babysitter

3\. Zeyn Zafrani, Ultimate Jetsetter

4\. Ayako Hamasaki. Ultimate Footballer

5\. Rin Cody, Ultimate Hunter

6\. Haruto Satō, Ultimate Caricaturist

7\. North Tchovsky, Ultimate Juggler

8\. Isaiah Carter, Ultimate Amateur Astronomer

9\. Moca Shiozaki, Ultimate Part-Timer

10\. Sho Kawakaze, Ultimate Dart Thrower

11\. Pauline Celeste, Ultimate Runway Model

12\. Kaori Tachibana, Ultimate Food Chemist

13\. Erik Daae, Ultimate Composer

14\. Ruby Bradford, Ultimate Curler

15\. Rentarou Kimura, Ultimate Private Eye

**Dead:**

16\. Ryohei Kazuhara, Ultimate Prosecutor

* * *

**Oh no.**


End file.
